In Episode 31 of Strait Talk, Telile brought the community an in-depth look at coastal erosion and rising sea levels through a discussion with Dr. Donald L. Forbes, recorded on November 3 at the St. John’s Centre for the Arts in Arichat.
Dr. Forbes, a Research Scientist Emeritus with the Geological Survey of Canada at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography and Canada’s Past Vice Chair of Future Earth Coasts, has dedicated his career to marine geoscience. Over time, his work has focused on coastal hazard reduction and sustainability in coastal communities.
Recognizing that rising seas and coastal erosion have been significant challenges for Isle Madame and other local communities for over a decade, Telile partnered with the St. John’s Centre for the Arts Society to cover and record Dr. Forbes’ presentation. Afterward, the team collaborated with Dr. Forbes to integrate his slides, images, and additional context into the broadcast.
The presentation, which included a Q&A session with attendees, aired on Telile and was later posted on YouTube, where it received a positive community response and continues to gain views. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/DzVIz8uj-5c.
Following the presentation, Dr. Forbes sat down with Civic Journalist Jake Boudrot to further explore these pressing issues. The discussion featured not only Forbes’ materials but also historical and recent photos of Isle Madame’s eroding coastline and rising seas, enhancing the visual impact of the episode.
Boudrot began by asking about the International C-Change Coastal Erosion study, which included Isle Madame as one of six communities studied for climate change adaptation. Dr. Forbes explained that Dan Lane, an Isle Madame native now based at the Université Sainte-Anne Petit de Grat campus, proposed the island for the project.
“It was Dan who proposed Isle Madame as one of six communities in a project called C-Change, which was looking at climate change adaptation and rising sea levels in coastal communities in Canada and the Caribbean,” Forbes said. “We had three communities in Canada, Isle Madame was one of them.”
Dr. Forbes described how findings from the study influenced his work. “The flooding of roads was one of the components we worked on,” he said. “C-Change was involved with issues around infrastructure in Arichat. We also looked into Little Anse, where a storm had damaged the wharf, and explored ways to make people more secure during such events.”
Using topographic and geographic data, Forbes presented projections for Isle Madame, revealing that many current roads, homes, properties, and businesses could be submerged within the next century.
He emphasized that preparation and mitigation efforts must begin now to address these looming challenges and protect the community.
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