Go back

SFU professor highlights the danger BC faces from natural disasters

News

The analysis comes after increasing global trends of climate-induced disasters

Peak Web
Peak Web
2 min.
0
911
PHOTO: Courtesy of the Government of British Columbia / Flickr

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer

2025 was one of the most destructive years on record for natural disasters. Though much of the damage to infrastructure and human lives was seen in the Global South, much of the economic cost was seen in Global North countries like Canada. The Peak interviewed Tim Takaro, a professor emeritus at SFU’s faculty of health sciences, to learn more about how the growing destruction of natural disasters specifically applies locally. 

In 2025, BC faced disasters like the flooding of the Fraser Valley and forest fires. Takaro explained that these disasters as a whole had afflicted large segments of the population, especially marginalized communities. For one, he pointed to those with chronic illnesses, as chronic conditions can increase the chances of sickness and death during disasters. This can be due to potential disruptions in essential services, weakened immune systems, and increased mental health strain. 

He also pointed out that natural disasters in BC have had a disproportionate effect on Indigenous Peoples, as they face the colonial legacy of being driven off their traditional lands towards more vulnerable areas for natural disasters. He argued that this set the stage for the present, where 80% of all Indigenous communities live in areas prone to disasters like wildfires, and about 42% of all disaster evacuees in Canada are Indigenous Peoples, despite only making up 5% of the population. 

For these particular reasons, Takaro emphasized the need for the provincial government to adapt to the evolving threat of climate-induced disasters and tackle their root cause — fossil fuel emissions.

 “I liken it to having your bathtub overflowing, and you go and look for a mop and some towels, and you don’t turn off the tap. That’s the way we’re approaching this problem — we’re not addressing the source.”

— Tim Takaro, professor emeritus at SFU’s faculty of health sciences

He argued that, due to the role of the gas industry, the government has a conflict of interest in tackling the role of carbon emissions in climate change for economic reasons. As well, The Vancouver Sun reported in September 2025 that, due to BC’s financial situation, it had no resources for a flood plan, highlighting concerns over the region’s readiness for future disasters. 

Overall, Takaro emphasized the need for long-term and holistic planning to tackle the issues of climate-induced weather patterns in the province: “We tend to, in our thinking, follow the political cycle, which is thinking four years ahead; we can’t do that.”

Was this article helpful?
0
0

Leave a Reply

Block title

New immunotherapy treatment provides hope for aggressive cancer

News Peak Web -
By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are often recognized as the three most common forms of cancer treatment. Sometimes, the latter two approaches become no longer effective when cancers become drug resistant, allowing the cells to further spread. At the University of Calgary, however, promising developments in immunotherapy intervention seek to provide alternative treatment when common therapies are not viable.  Cells continually divide to replenish dying cells, but certain gene mutations can create cancer cells, which divide and spread in an uncontrolled manner. The human body naturally defends itself from cancerous cells, though sometimes they can “hide from the immune system and avoid being destroyed,” according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Immunotherapy seeks to help strengthen the ability to recognize and fight...

Read Next

Block title

New immunotherapy treatment provides hope for aggressive cancer

News Peak Web -
By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are often recognized as the three most common forms of cancer treatment. Sometimes, the latter two approaches become no longer effective when cancers become drug resistant, allowing the cells to further spread. At the University of Calgary, however, promising developments in immunotherapy intervention seek to provide alternative treatment when common therapies are not viable.  Cells continually divide to replenish dying cells, but certain gene mutations can create cancer cells, which divide and spread in an uncontrolled manner. The human body naturally defends itself from cancerous cells, though sometimes they can “hide from the immune system and avoid being destroyed,” according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Immunotherapy seeks to help strengthen the ability to recognize and fight...

Block title

New immunotherapy treatment provides hope for aggressive cancer

News Peak Web -
By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are often recognized as the three most common forms of cancer treatment. Sometimes, the latter two approaches become no longer effective when cancers become drug resistant, allowing the cells to further spread. At the University of Calgary, however, promising developments in immunotherapy intervention seek to provide alternative treatment when common therapies are not viable.  Cells continually divide to replenish dying cells, but certain gene mutations can create cancer cells, which divide and spread in an uncontrolled manner. The human body naturally defends itself from cancerous cells, though sometimes they can “hide from the immune system and avoid being destroyed,” according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Immunotherapy seeks to help strengthen the ability to recognize and fight...

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

For advertising inquiries: [email protected]
For promotional inquiries: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

For advertising inquiries: [email protected]
For promotional inquiries: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society