Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
19 November 2010
How Climate Change
Will Affect Canada
An Ottawa think tank has released a report
predicting what global warming will do to Canada
“The physical effects of climate change on Canada in the next century could touch everything from human health and community infrastructure to water resources and even tourism and recreation activities.”
This is the conclusion of a report from the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy. The report, Degrees of Change, was released in Ottawa October 5, 2010 and is contained in Canadian Geographic and Géographica magazines
The North
We’ve already seen changes in the form of less sea ice, snow cover, and permafrost;
these trends will continue. More water will become navigable for longer periods.
Farming and forestry will move northwards.
Polar bears, beluga whales, and caribou will become more vulnerable, but southern species will move farther north. Robins have already been seen in the Arctic.
The report says there will be “Challenges to maintaining traditional ways of life in Aboriginal Arctic communities…[those] with a limited capacity to adapt are particularly vulnerable.”
British Columbia
For what is sometimes called “The Wet Coast” there will be growing shortages of water
and periods of sustained drought.
Forests will become more threatened by wildfires and destructive infestation of insects; Pacific salmon will be even more vulnerable than they are now.
Extreme weather and natural hazards will threaten networks and services that are important to human security.
The Prairies
Already troubled by sporadic water shortages, the Prairies will become more arid,
triggering wildfires and crop failures “with economic impacts in the billions of
dollars.”
More pests and diseases will show up because of warmer winters and this will also make it difficult to access remote communities over ice roads.
“Ecosystems [will be] affected by shifts in fire and insect disturbances, stressed
aquatic habitats, and introduction of non-
Ontario
“More frequent disruptions to water treatment /distribution and energy generation/transmission.”
The Great Lakes will lose some of their oxygen, have lower water levels, and experience loss of fish.
High summer temperatures in southern Ontario will lead to water shortages and the increased heat will create smog and elevated health risks.
Forest-
Tourism will probably benefit with a longer summer season meaning more outdoor activities such as golf and swimming. However, the skiing season will be shorter or may disappear altogether in southern Ontario.
Quebec
Infrastructure will be weakened and northern communities will have trouble maintaining
traditional lifestyles.
The health of the ecosystem will decline but there might be benefits for hydroelectricity generation.
The St. Lawrence River estuary will suffer from shoreline erosion and there will be more extreme weather
Atlantic Canada
The eastern seaboard will be subjected to more frequent and more severe storms as
well as rising sea levels leading to coastal erosion and flooding; parts of Halifax
and other coastal communities will be submerged.
Fish species will likely change although there will probably be more cod in northern waters. Agriculture and forestry may benefit.
Image credits
Terragen Landscapes
Greg Clarke
Tim Lindenbaum
Sookie
Paul Falardeau
Lisa Andres
Sources
Degrees of Change. National Roundtable on the Environment and Economy, October 2010
“The Silver Lining in Climate Change’s Clouds, John Ibbitson, Globe and Mail, October 6, 2010.
“Climate Change: Is this what the Future will be Like?” Adam McDowell, National Post, October 6, 2010.
© Canada and the World, October 2010
All rights reserved
“Citing studies from 2005 and 2009, the Degrees of Change report predicts that in a world a little more than two degrees hotter than today’s, summer western wildfires will engulf areas of two to four times current blazes.”
Adam McDowell, National Post, October 2010
The world is currently .78 degrees Celsius warmer than it was at the start of the Industrial Revolution.