Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity in Northern Canada

Climate change has affected us in many ways, but it was even more influential on organisms and their community. The Earth is gradually heating and we are left to deal with the consequences. Homes are being destroyed, organisms are dying, and resources are running low. Since 1880, Our Earth’s temperature had increased by about 0.8 degrees Celsius. Climate change is affecting the Earth and scientists say that one more degree will greatly affect people from all over the world. There are many consequences of climate change and each one has a great impact on all of us, but organisms’ homes are being destroyed and thousands of species are dying out. These organisms are imperative to our world and how it functions.

Not only will climate affect the ecosystems but will also affect the animals. Climate change affects habitats for thousands of species. Animals that are affected by this would either have to adapt to the new environment or roam other places. Climate change can change life cycles for animals and

Climate change will create a number of health problems in the near future and become a top social issue. Climate will create more smog which will lead to higher rates of and other heat related illness.” Montreal currently has approximately 70 annual heat related deaths, while Toronto has 20. According to the (World health organization,2015). The statistic shows why this has become a social issue because people are dying every year affecting our society. Climate change also affects our world economy. The country is spending a lot of money trying to combat the issue as the country is losing natural resources as well as expected natural disasters are taking place. In 2013 there was an increase in floodings in the Toronto and Vancouver area due to unexpected weather. The clean-up bill came to $1.9 billion — the single most costly disaster in Canadian history — and 90 per cent of it was on the federal tab because Canadians cannot buy flood insurance”(Moore,2015.) As you can see the impacts of climate change leave the government with having to pay massive amounts money when it could be used for other things like creating jobs but that money is often now lost. Climate change has an effect on the environment. The glaciers in the Antarctic are melting as a result of increased amounts of heat now we are losing a part of

First, Alberta is impacted by climate change due to increasing temperatures. Increasing temperatures can be caused by the greenhouse effect, which traps the sun’s heat in the lower parts of the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to rise. The main emissions which can lead to the greenhouse effect are Carbon dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous oxide. Too much of these compounds can lead to an excess amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which can potentially change the ecosystem in Alberta. Greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere by the burning of Coal, Natural gas, and Oil. Furthermore, the increasing temperatures that occur in Alberta can lead to warmer climates, and a drastic change to where the people of Alberta live. With increasing temperatures, this can lead to lower precipitation levels and instead, causes

Permafrost is very vulnerable to changes in air temperature and different snow coverages making it extremely sensitive to climate change. As the permafrost is melting, it continues to amplify the already rapidly increasing rate of global warming because it is releasing heat-trapping elements that are stored in the soil and the ice into the atmosphere. In the Beringia Upland Tundra, average temperatures in the year 2050 are expected to be 3.5-7 degrees fahrenheit higher than what current temperatures are at now. With this happening, the permafrost will continue to melt unless humans reduce the amount of heat-trapping emissions being let into the atmosphere (Hagenstein). Through warmer climate is increased evaporation, lakes are getting severly smaller and permafrost is thinning. As the climate warms, shrubs are entering into the tundra. In some circumstances and places, shrubs are taking place of other tundra vegetation such as lichen. Caribou depend on lichens for food in the winter since the tundra does not produce much food in the winter. A decline of lichen can cause a negative slope of growth and and numbers of these animals, and can possibly lead to extinction in this region. If caribou don't survive, then other animal species in this region will not be able to evolve and thrive since caribou are a solid food source for them

The issue is the startling climate changes that have and undoubtedly continue to occur in Northern Canada. Climate changes are known as weather conditions such as temperature, winds, precipitation, and others that have been affected over a period of time (GOC, n.d.). The concern with this is that the earth’s climate has a balance between energy that is received and energy that being dispatched. The intent is to maintain regulated temperatures; instead the issue that has occurred is disturbances between these two balances (GOC, n.d.). Changes in the climate affects the air temperature and precipitation, the cryosphere, freshwater resources, and ocean climate (Bush, Loder, James, Mortsch, & Cohen, 2014).There are however

The greatest threat to Canada's Boreal is industrial development and its effects, such as climate change. Although much of the forest is still fairly unbroken, engineering actions like logging, mining,

The article “Cold warriors,” Gregoire (2008) indicates that climate change leads to environmental issues and melting ice, and the scientists’ researches point out climatic issues in Canada. The author comes up with a point that everyone is responsible for protecting the environment because people around the world are bearing negative effects due to climate degradation. For example, residents in Grise Fiord and Inuit notice a huge differences, the landscape is becoming warmer, softer and unpredictable. Moreover, a greater risk of environmental pollution is caused by climate change. In addition to changes in environment, shrinking glaciers, earlier ice breakup, later freeze-up and less snow caused by warmer temperature bring double-edged effects

Although more agriculture opportunities are provided, the frequency of droughts, storms, and floods also increased in some regions (“Impact of climate change on Canadian agriculture”, July 3rd 2015, www.agr.gc.ca/ , accessed November 7th 2016). Which destroy infrastructure, sewer systems, and crops, increasing the risk of a downfall of the economy, and a shortened food supply. Global warming also causes health and hygienic issues, such as the increasing risk of contamination of water sources in the Northwest Territories, or the decreasing air quality in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada (“Impact by regions”, September 15th 2010, www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca, accessed November 7th 2016). These problems result in diseases, affecting the health of Canadians. And worse, global warming has a direct impact on Canada’s ecosystem (Debra Davidson, “Climate change”, February 23rd 2011, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/, accessed November 7th 2016). Most plants and animals are sensitive to changes in temperature and water cycles, which can cause them to move, changing habitats and nature in an area. There is also a high risk of extinction for those who cannot

How do you think that Canada’s government should react towards climate change inside and outside of Canada’s national parks?

It has been observed through various researches that in the last century, average temperatures across the globe increased by over 1.3°F with an increase of more than two times in the Arctic. (Bates, Kundzewicz, Wu, & Palutikof, June 2008). The results of climate change can also be seen in changing precipitation patterns, increases in ocean temperatures, changes in the sea level, and acidity and melting of glaciers and sea ice (USEPA, 2014).

"We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words” (Anna Sewell). There is undeniable evidence that animals are being affected by climate change. Even though the effects are difficult to measure, there are many different ways animals are being affected. With the loss of predator and prey species it affects the life cycles in the food chain. The earth’s climate change causes habitats such as snow, ice, or forest areas to alter, resulting in loss of habitat and food accessibility as well as causing extinction.

Climate change is the term used to describe the warming of the average surface temperature on earth. Climate change; often referred to as the general term global warming, is a topic that often inspires fierce debate among those on both sides of the issue. One thing those who are pro and those that are con both agree on is that the temperature on earth has increased over the past century by an average of 1.4 degrees. The big debate on the two sides is if the warming temperatures are caused by human activities and if it is not stopped it will have dire consequences (the pro side) or if it is the result of natural causes and the earth’s surface will find ways to adapt such as crops becoming more heat resistant (the con side).

Climate change is one of the biggest problems the whole world is collectively facing. Even though climate change is partially caused by the natural cycles of Earth, humans I think are still a major part of it and I think that we can do more to protect the environment that we live in. Climate change happens when temperatures increase dramatically. When climate change causes temperature rises many environmental problems can occur here on earth . Temperatures rising can result in more floods, droughts, or flooding rain, as well as more frequent and severe heat waves which can cause wildfires. Oceans and the Antarctic Ice Glaciers have also experienced changes in oceans that are rising temperatures and are becoming more acidic. The Antarctic ice glaciers are melting and sea levels are rising destroying many habitats along the ice glaciers such as penguins and polar bears. As these changes frequently occur in future decades, they will likely present challenges to our society and environment.

Climate change is one of the major issues surfacing earth over the past century. The earth’s temperature has increased over the years leading to detrimental effects on the economic and life sources of people, especially that of agricultural production and livestock. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary (2014), defined climate change as a change in global climate patterns apparent from the mid late 20th century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, (2007) predicts that by 2100 the increase in global average surface temperature may be between 1.8° C and 4.0° C. With increases of 1.5° C to 2.5° C, approximately 20 to 30 percent of plant and animal species are expected to be at risk of extinction. Moreover, the IPCC (2007)