2 Degree Temperature Increase in Canada

CANADA/ENVIRONMENT - Canada has a lot to lose if the global mean temperature rises by 2 degrees, according to a new climate change report released in Ottawa Tuesday. See "Degrees of Change".

Up north, Canada’s Arctic sea ice will be halved, runoff in the Saskatchewan River basin would be reduced, and shipping through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway would cost more.

The report is the first ever comprehensive illustration of expected climate change in Canada, a joint project of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

The details of the research is covered in depth on the website above, as well as in the October issue of Canadian Geographic.

The 2 degree temperature increase will also have an effect on Canadian resources, Halifax’s rising harbour, and an impact on health care.

The website also has a detailed poster/map that looks at what would happen to Canada if the temperature increases between 1 and 5 degrees Celsius.

Other changes include:

Western mountain glaciers losing 50 per cent of their volume;

More deaths from heat waves;

More deaths from poor air quality;

Loss of boreal forest and tundra;

Polar bear populations at risk of extinction;

Exposure to vector borne diseases;

Compromised water quality;

More water-borne disease outbreaks.

"When will we ever learn from our mistakes?"