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Proactive disclosure Print version ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() Weathering the changes: Climate change in Ontario Where we live
Where we live, work, and play, how and what we build, and how we travel are all affected by weather events and climate. Many decisions we make routinely every day are affected by the weather: what we wear, how we travel, and how we use our recreational time. Many things we depend on in our day-to-day lives are affected by climate: the design capacity of our sewer systems, the energy efficiency of our houses, and the delineation of hazardous areas such as flood plains, for example.
Shorter winters will likely mean lower maintenance and snow-removal costs for our roads and railways, a shorter winter recreation season, and a longer summer recreation season. More frequent freezing rain events could affect energy transmission and road and airline safety. More frequent freeze-thaw cycles could speed up the weathering process on our buildings and roadways. Managing extremes Ontario falls prey to a number of natural hazards: drought, heat waves, floods, rain, snow and ice storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes (although rare). Small changes in average climate conditions are expected to generate significant changes in extreme events. Experts anticipate:
The total number of weather-related disasters per year that cause death or injury or involved evacuation has increased significantly since 1911. These statistics indicate that we have become more vulnerable to damage from extreme weather events. Did you know?
References Francis, D. and Hengeveld, H., 1998: Extreme weather and climate change; Climate Change Digest, Environment Canada, 31 p. Haley, D., 1999: Perspectives from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Atmospheric Change in the Toronto-Niagara region: Towards an Integrated Understanding of Science, Impacts and Responses, (ed.)B. Mills and L. Craig; in Proceedings of a Workshop held May 27-28, 1998, University of Toronto; Environment Canada. Philips, D., 1998: The Worst Ice Storm in Canadian History?; Environment Canada (online: http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/cd/icestorm98/icestorm98_the_worst_e.cfm).
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