Skip to main content

Environment, Energy and Economies - A Canadian Primer: CANADA IN A CHANGING CLIMATE Ray Hamm

Canada in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action is the national assessment of how and why Canada’s climate is changing, the impacts of these changes on our communities, environment, and economy, and how we are adapting. Released in 2019, this report is about how and why Canada’s climate has changed and what changes are projected for the future. Led by Environment and Climate Change Canada, it is the first report to be released as part of Canada in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action.


Canada in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action  is a reader friendly government report. The bold print below is taken from a chapter on headline statements. The full report is available at https://changingclimate.ca/CCCR2019/ 


Canada’s climate has warmed and will warm further in the future, driven by human influence. 

Both past and future warming in Canada is, on average, about double the magnitude of global warming. 

Oceans surrounding Canada have warmed, become more acidic, and less oxygenated, consistent with observed global ocean changes over the past century. 

The effects of widespread warming are evident in many parts of Canada and are projected to intensify in the future. 

Precipitation is projected to increase for most of Canada, on average, although summer rainfall may decrease in some areas. 

The seasonal availability of freshwater is changing, with an increased risk of water supply shortages in summer. 

A warmer climate will intensify some weather extremes in the future. 

Canadian areas of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans have experienced longer and more widespread sea-ice-free conditions. 

Coastal flooding is expected to increase in many areas of Canada due to local sea level rise. 

The rate and magnitude of climate change under high versus low emission scenarios project two very different futures for Canada.


ACAN seeks to educate and inspire sustainable practices in our community.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, altonacan.blogspot.com or email inquiries to altonacan@gmail.com Give us a shout if you would like to be a Friend of ACAN.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Altona CAN! Apply the Golden Rule During a Pandemic

  The other day, someone who falls into the high-risk category for COVID 19 was picking up some items at the  Farmer’s Market.   Because of her own risk factors, but also because she has family members who are high-risk, she  wore a mask as is currently advised by public health.  She was confronted by someone who argued that COVID-19  was “blown out of proportion” and that “a true person of faith wouldn’t live in fear and wear a mask.”    I am disturbed by this behaviour on two accounts.  First, the person who confronted the mask wearing individual  is someone who works with vulnerable people,  and comments about her beliefs about COVID-19 being blown out  of proportion suggest to me that she likely wouldn’t be someone who would take the necessary precautions (at least  not outside of her working environment).  Case in point: her comments were not stated from a respectful distance  of 2 meters.  Rather,...

Environment, Energy and Economies - A Canadian Primer: GREEN HOUSE GASES (GHG) AND OIL COMPANIES Ray Hamm

The production and use of fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases. GHG are a small number of chemicals which reduce the amount of heat the earth reflects back into space. When too much GHG  gets into the atmosphere, it begins to make a difference. GHG make the earth warmer, like a greenhouse. Carbon, carbon dioxide, is the main factor in all this. China produces 26% of global GHG. The US is at 15%  Canada produces 2% of the total. Per capita, GHG emissions are quite different. China is #12. Canada and the US are in the top five in per capita GHG emissions. Coal continues to be “dirtier” than oil and natural gas. Tar sands oil is “dirtier” than regular oil - environmentally and economically more expensive. New technologies are improving some of the environmental impact. Fossil fuel companies are among the top carbon dioxide emitters in the world. Twenty corporations are responsible for more than a third of total global emissions  since 1965. (These lists are based on produc...

What will you do about all that oak trim? - By Connie Heppner Muelle

On two different occasions people have asked this question regarding the oak trim and baseboards in  our house. It’s an unsettling question. We live in a 80 year old house that was lovingly restored and updated by the previous owners. While the  baseboards and trim aren’t original, they have been custom made to match the originals. Tall, stately  baseboards that echo of another time, milled carefully to match the era of the home. But now I suppose they have gone out of fashion, thus the questions which imply that something must  be done. Surely we won’t just leave them and let our house become “dated.” Surely we will pay attention  to Pinterest and Instagram and see that we need to update. In contrast, there is a tradition in indigenous traditions called the Honourable Harvest and here is a  sampling of its principles: Take only what you need. Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken. Give a gift in reciprocity for what you have taken. Now let’s...