‘Our results are clear: Canada's climate is warming faster than average, and this level of warming cannot be stopped,’ said Nancy Hamzawi, Assistant Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
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This department of the Canadian government is behind a report, which makes a sad statement about the climate. As the experts remind us, world temperatures have indeed risen by 0.8 ° C since 1948.
Over this same period, Canada's has risen by 1.7 ° C... more than double. More importantly, temperatures in the Canadian Arctic region have averaged 2.3 degrees Celsius.
Sadly, the report highlights that the increased temperatures in Canda are directly caused by irresponsible human activity. The report states:
While both human activities and natural variations in the climate have contributed to the observed warming in Canada, the human factor is dominant. It is likely that more than half of the observed warming in Canada is due to the influence of human activities.
Additionally, hotter temperatures could have drastic effects on the weather and cause droughts and wildfires in parts of the country while causing equally extreme rain and flooding in others.
Oceans are also in this case expected to become more acidic and less oxygenated which could harm surrounding wildlife. In fact, in just a few decades it is expected that Canada's oceans will also undergo periods without ice in the summer. The subsequent rising water levels could result in flooding and rainfall in urban centres.
‘Urgent action is needed’
Alarming numbers, which illustrate the urgency of the situation. ‘We can already see the effects of global warming in Canada,’ said Elizabeth Bush, also a member of the ECCC.
It's very clear, science supports the fact that it's imperative to adapt to climate change, urgent action is needed to reduce emissions.
In this part of the globe, the challenge is all the more complicated. As scientists point out, ice and snow play a central role in reflecting the rays, radiation and heat from the sun. According to the researchers, this contributes to a vicious circle of warming, which explains this disproportionate increase in temperatures.
With this in mind, Justin Trudeau's government pledged at the Paris agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 517 megatonnes by 2030. But, in the opinion of scientists, this goal has little chance of being reached.
