Excerise 4

September 6, 2026 By: Hailey Donaldson

An environmental issue that feels relevant to me is climate change and the increasing risk of wildfires in Kamloops. A recent article from The Tyee, “It’s Going to Happen Again”, discusses the 2021 wildfire in Kamloops and the need for being better prepared as extreme weather becomes more common. The article explains how the 2021 heat wave and wildfire created dangerous conditions for residence, enforced people in parts of Kamloops to prepare for evacuation. It also connects these events to the broader pattern of increasing climate related risks.  

This issue matters to me because Kamloops is a place where the effects of climate change are not just something happening somewhere else. Extreme heat, wildfire smoke, drought, and wildfires have directly affected the community. The city of Kamloops also has identified climate change as a significant local concern, including the impact of extreme heat, wildfires, flooding, and stress on ecosystems and agriculture. It has been noted that ranchers and rural residents have been running dry this year.  

A local example is the climate activism that took place in Kamloops in 2019 was a group of students from school district 73 participated in the climate strike outside Kamloops City Hall to demand government action on climate change. I think civil disobedience can bring positive change because it makes environmental issues difficult for the Government and the public to ignore. However, I do not think protesting alone is enough. Protesters can create great awareness and public pressure, but lasting change requires government, communities, and individuals to follow the procedures with actual policies and actions.  

References 

Holman, D. B. S. (2026, July 3). ‘It’s Going to Happen Again’ | The Tyee. The Tyee. https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/07/03/Going-Happen-Again/ 

Potestio, M. (2026, September 3). Extreme drought leaves Kamloops roughly a year behind on rain and snow. CastanetNews; CastanetKamloops.net. https://www.castanetkamloops.net/news/Kamloops/630081/Extreme-drought-leaves-Kamloops-roughly-a-year-behind-on-rain-and-snow 

Tereza Verenca – Sep 20, 2019 / 7:46 pm. (2019). CastanetKamloops.net. CastanetNews. https://www.castanetkamloops.net/news/Kamloops/285461/Kamloops-students-still-demand-climate-change-action