British Columbia's climate news this week includes FortisBC violating an environmental permit for more than a year, forecasters predicting severe weather with a strong El Niño pattern, and an early heat wave driving record May electricity demand.
FortisBC Environmental Permit Violation
FortisBC has been operating in violation of its environmental permit for over a year, according to recent reports. The utility company has faced scrutiny for non-compliance with permit conditions, raising concerns about environmental oversight and accountability.
Severe Weather Expected with Strong El Niño
Scientists are predicting severe weather events as a strong El Niño develops mid-year. The climate pattern, characterized by warming ocean temperatures in the Pacific, is linked to extreme weather globally, including heat waves, floods, and droughts. The Associated Press reports that forecasters expect significant impacts across North America.
Early Heat Wave Drives Record May Demand
B.C. Hydro set a record for peak electricity demand in May as an early heat wave swept the province. The utility urged customers to conserve energy during the hot spell, which saw temperatures soar above seasonal norms.
Climate Change Context
Human activities, particularly burning fossil fuels and livestock farming, are the primary drivers of climate change, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These activities increase heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels, raising global surface and ocean temperatures.
The IPCC, which includes scientists from B.C., has long warned that wildfires and severe weather—such as the province's deadly 2021 heat dome and catastrophic flooding—would become more frequent and intense due to climate change. The panel has issued a "code red for humanity," stressing that the window to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is closing.
NASA climate scientists note that human activities have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) by 50% in less than 200 years, and there is unequivocal evidence of unprecedented global warming.
Current CO2 Levels
As of May 5, 2026, atmospheric CO2 stood at 431.12 parts per million (ppm), up from 429.35 ppm the previous month, according to NOAA data from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. CO2 has risen steadily from under 320 ppm in 1960.
Quick Facts
- The global average temperature in 2023 reached 1.48°C above pre-industrial levels; in 2024, it breached 1.5°C at 1.55°C.
- 2025 was the third warmest year on record, capping 11 consecutive warmest years.
- Human activities have raised atmospheric CO2 nearly 49% above pre-industrial levels (since 1850).
- The world is not on track to meet the Paris Agreement target of limiting warming to 1.5°C, the upper limit to avoid severe climate impacts.
- UNEP's 2025 Emissions Gap Report indicates that even if emissions targets are met, global temperatures could rise 2.3°C to 2.5°C this century.
- In June 2025, global CO2 concentrations exceeded 430 ppm, a record high.
- There is global scientific consensus that the climate is warming and humans are the cause.
