Canada warming at twice the global rate, leaked report finds

[retro_orange]

Canada warming at twice the global rate, leaked report finds
Government report scheduled for release on Tuesday

CBC News · Posted: Apr 01, 2019 3:17 PM ET | Last Updated: an hour ago


Wildfires like this one in the La Ronge area of Saskatchewan are a greater risk as a result of increased warming in Canada due to climate change. (Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment/ Wildfire Branch/Canadian Press)

Canada is, on average, experiencing warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world, with Northern Canada heating up at almost three times the global average, according to a new government report.
The study — Canada's Changing Climate Report (CCCR) — was commissioned by Environment and Climate Change Canada. It says that since 1948, Canada's annual average temperature over land has warmed 1.7 C, with higher rates seen in the North, the Prairies and northern British Columbia.
In Northern Canada, the annual average temperature has increased by 2.3 C.

• Read the Canada's Changing Climate Report 2019

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), since 1948, global average temperatures have increased by about 0.8 C.
Along with these temperature increases, the CCCR says Canada is experiencing increases in precipitation (particularly in winter), "extreme fire weather" and water supply shortages in summer, and a heightened risk of coastal flooding.

The report was authored by government scientists from the ministries of Environment and Climate Change, Fisheries and Oceans and Natural Resources, with contributions from university experts.
The document says that while warming in Canada has been the result of both human activity and natural variations in the climate, "the human factor is dominant," especially emissions of greenhouse gases.

Flooding, drought risks

Increasing warmth has had a number of effects in Canada, including greater precipitation, the report says.
The authors' observations show that annual precipitation has increased across Canada since 1948, with larger increases in Northern Canada and parts of Manitoba, Ontario, northern Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Warming also has led to a reduction in how much snowfall accounts for total precipitation in Southern Canada.

(CBC News)
Although flooding is often the result of many factors, more intense rainfall will increase urban flood risks.
Warming also will intensify the severity of heat waves and contribute to higher risks of drought and wildfires.
The report says that extreme heat events — which currently occur every 20 years on average — will happen once every five years by the middle of the century under a low-emissions scenario, and every other year in a high-emissions scenario.

Low- and high-emission scenarios

The report's early release saw it come out as the the federal government's carbon-pricing plan was going into effect in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Ottawa has imposed a fuel levy in these provinces as a backstop because they don't have carbon-pricing schemes of their own in place.

The report stresses that efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades will have "an increasing impact on the amount of additional warming beyond this time frame."
The report says the national annual average temperature increase projected for the late century, compared to the reference period of 1986-2005, ranges from a "low-emission scenario" of 1.8 C to a "high-emission scenario" of 6.3 C.
According to the now released report, the only way to keep global temperature rises in line with the targets set by nations at the Paris climate summit in 2015 is for "global emissions to peak almost immediately, with rapid and deep reductions thereafter."
The report also predicts that under a medium-emission scenario, glaciers in Canada's west will lose between 74 per cent and 96 per cent of their volume by the end of the century.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/c...inds-1.5079765

[logicbomb]

We have known about the effects of carbon emissions and pollution on our environment for decades now. We can try with token "feel good" gestures such as recycling and using electric vehicles in the developed world but the entire globe as a whole is increasing in population which is driving up consumption of everything. I hear stories of cities just dumping copious amounts of hazardous waste into rivers and Oceans in India.

The world was doomed when humans "evolved" because it meant we could thrive without much cheques and balances or so...that's what we seem to think. Rather funny, because we are no different from species that became extinct. We adapted to the current equilibrium. However, we will become increasingly vulnerable as the environment continue to degrade. Wars, famine, disease etc...all a product of overpopulation.

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by logicbomb

We have known about the effects of carbon emissions and pollution on our environment for decades now. We can try with token "feel good" gestures such as recycling and using electric vehicles in the developed world but the entire globe as a whole is increasing in population which is driving up consumption of everything. I hear stories of cities just dumping copious amounts of hazardous waste into rivers and Oceans in India.

The world was doomed when humans "evolved" because it meant we could thrive without much cheques and balances or so...that's what we seem to think. Rather funny, because we are no different from species that became extinct. We adapted to the current equilibrium. However, we will become increasingly vulnerable as the environment continue to degrade. Wars, famine, disease etc...all a product of overpopulation.

Basically. We seem to have the same level of foresight and indifference to the future as Blue-Green Algae that caused the first mass extinction event.

There are individual humans that are incredibly intelligent, however humanity as a whole is stupid.

We would not be at this crossroads if we were as intelligent as we pretend to be.

[Klazu]

I think the new carbon tax that took effect today will fix this. /s

[retro_orange]

Originally Posted by Klazu

I think the new carbon tax that took effect today will fix this. /s

no comment. I'm just glad I don't (and likely won't at this rate) have kids who will be around for the next 80 years who will look back on the choices the previous generations made and see that it was a waste for their loss.

[jollyburger]

I think Elon Musk has some solution up his sleeve that will be unveiled in the near future.

[WarrenC12]

Ultimately, lifting more people out of poverty and into the modern world will decrease the birth rate and keep population under control. That will take at least a few generations. In the meantime, let's not burn the rest of the fossil fuels...

[Vin]

Scary stuff. Are we all playing our part to reduce our ecological footprint yet?

By the way, it looks like our annual fire season has started very early too:

Extra crews deployed to fight wildfire burning near Squamish
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/squa...pIp7VsBsQUHEXw

[fredinno]

Originally Posted by retro_orange

Basically. We seem to have the same level of foresight and indifference to the future as Blue-Green Algae that caused the first mass extinction event.

There are individual humans that are incredibly intelligent, however humanity as a whole is stupid.

We would not be at this crossroads if we were as intelligent as we pretend to be.

The thing is, fear of what will happen is part of what separates humans from animals. I mean, we are making changes- perhaps not fast enough, but more than not doing anything. Look at the advances in renewable energy and battery technology over the last 15 years.

Renewables are either already as cheap as (new-build) coal, or will get cheaper than coal in the near future. The issue now is storage and scale. https://theconversation.com/factchec...y-source-81263

Power generation in North America has been steadily moving towards natural gas as well as an interim solution.

Moping doesn't help anyone...