LibGuides: GEOG 311-3-3 Environmental Management: Climate Change

What Change is Expected in Canada's Climate

"Canada’s climate has changed. There is robust evidence of change across a broad range of indicators. The changes are described in considerable detail in Canada’s Changing Climate Report published by the Government of Canada in 2019. The country is warmer—in fact, the warming in Canada was twice the global average, and the warming in Canada’s north was three times the global average. Many parts of the country recorded an increase in precipitation. Local sea levels rose in most parts of Canada. The area burned by wildfire increased. In the north, permafrost temperatures increased and began to thaw. Sea ice cover declined and thinned in the Arctic. Glaciers thinned and retreated. Some severe weather risks increased in frequency and severity."

Insurance Institute. 2020. "Climate Risks: Implications for the Insurance Industry in Canada." Accessed on February 11, 2021. https://www.insuranceinstitute.ca/-/media/CIP-Society/2020-Climate-Risks-Report/IIC-2020-ClimateRisks-Report.pdf?la=en&hash=B84E383B69341AD4C99FC186122AD789649DA2AF

Canada's Changing Climate Report 2019
Climate change is one of the defining challenges of the 21st century. It is a global problem, and tackling it requires global action. Governments around the world have committed to work together to limit global warming, recognizing that climate-related risks grow with the magnitude of warming and associated changes in climate. The Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which entered into force on November 4, 2016, established a goal of holding the increase in global temperature to 1.5ºC–2ºC above pre-industrial levels, as well as a commitment to engage in adaptation planning and implementation. Collective action in pursuit of the global temperature goal is being implemented; however, it is recognized that this goal will only reduce and not eliminate the risks and impacts of climate change. Governments and citizens need to understand how climate change might impact them, in order to plan and prepare for the challenges that climate change brings.