Myth Busting on Climate Change and Flooding - aka Nutella is Really Sugar and Oil !

Healthy? or Bumgravy?

Media and advertising can convince you of anything. Like "Nutella is wholesome and good for you" - made with milk and nuts, when the first 2 ingredients are actually sugar and oil - its more like Bumgravy!

Here's our top list of myths (spread through the media like sweet, oily Nutella) about climate change and flooding that deserve some truth:

(1)

Myth: Rain intensity and frequency has increased due to climate change (MOECC, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Ontario Government, IBC, ICLR, etc.).

Infographic Bumgravy.
100% data-free !!!!

Truth, rain intensities are not increasing according to Environment and Climate Change Canada's published research based on the Engineering Climate Datasets (version 2.3).

(2)

Myth: Extreme weather events that occurred every 40 years are now occurring every 6 years due to climate change (IBC, ICLR in Telling the Weather Story).


Truth: Maybe worst blunder ever published! IBC / ICLR mixed up a theoretical bell curve shift with actual data - the worst part is they won't admit it and a chief economist at major Canadian bank has repeated the false data claim on historical trends.

(3)

Myth: We are having 20 times more storms now than we used to and that is causing insurance rates to go up.

Truth: The balance sheets of P&C companies is more complicated that this, especially plummeting fixed income earnings in a low interest rate environment that cannot offset underwriting losses anymore .. but that is off track. Environment and Climate Change Canada, through a complaint to the CBC Ombudsman, has corrected this bogus statement as we are not getting more storms. Period.

(4)

Known flood zone. Deeper flood weeks before on May 28-89.
Help stop the Bumgravy Train and tell the truth about flood
causes in Canada ! This was only between a 2 year and a 5 year
design flow rate for the Don River at the Todmorden gauge.

Myth: The GO Train Flood on July 8, 2013 was due to unprecedented conditions is evidence of climate change impacts to weather (Metrolinx, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario).

Truth: A higher flood occurred on May 28-29 just weeks before - so not unprecedented. It was less than a 5 year flood flow rate in the Don River per the Todmorden gauge records - so not a climate extreme. Rail flooding has been documented since the early 1980's flood inquiry to Premier Davis. This was an operational mistake, sending a train into a documented high risk zone at the wrong time during a moderate flow event.

(5)

Myth: Aging infrastructure is reducing capacity causes flooding (most media).

Truth: This has never been cited as a cause of flooding in any of the Municipal Class EA's .. is it possible an advanced City that spends a million dollars per study missed this cause of 'aging'? Check out the Toronto program or Council reports and see if there is any example of 'aging' and share it with us.


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More: Chestnut cracking on sewer infrastructure capacity.