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Meter CalculationPercent change in greenhouse gas emissions between 1990 and 2000.
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Context
A small group of greenhouse gases - mainly carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapour -
help to regulate the Earth's climate by trapping solar
energy that reradiates from the Earth's surface as heat.
Emissions from human activities enhance this natural
process. Since industrialization, human activities such as
burning fossil fuels have increased the amount of greenhouse
gases emitted into the atmosphere. It is widely
believed that increased emissions have enhanced the
greenhouse effect, causing the atmosphere to warm and
the climate to change. While overall global temperatures
are increasing, regional climates each change differently,
and some have experienced a cooling trend. Climate
change is expected to affect human health (through, for
example, increases in asthma, heat stress, and disease
transmission), traditional Aboriginal ways of life, air
and water availability (e.g., precipitation, stream flow,
sea level, ice, snow, and glaciers), severe weather events,
terrestrial and aquatic habitat, agricultural range and
practice, and overall national productivity.
Indicators
Globally, carbon dioxide emissions from energy use have
quadrupled since 1950. In 1998, Canada's share of these
emissions was approximately 2%. Canadian emissions
of six key greenhouse gases have grown 20% since 1990.
Increased emissions of carbon dioxide are reflected in
global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, which
have increased by 33% since the beginning of the industrial
age. Since carbon dioxide is a well-mixed gas in the
atmosphere, measurements made at any place on
the globe are considered
representative. The average
global temperature has risen
by about 0.6°C over the past
century, with Canada's average
temperature rising about
1°C between 1950 and 2000.
While there is no conclusive
scientific evidence supporting
a link between weather
extremes and greenhousegas-
induced climate change,
there is little debate that
Canadians have experienced
recent changes in weather
patterns and a substantial
increase in the number of
weather-related disasters.
Actions
In 1992, Canada ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which set out a framework for action to limit emissions of greenhouse gases. In 2002, Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol to the Convention, committing to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 6% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012. Current programs and policies of the government of Canada will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 megatonnes by 2008-2012. This includes estimated sink credits from improvements in agricultural and forest management practices that remove and store carbon from the air. These reductions amount to almost one-third of the Kyoto target. In 2002, the Government announced a strategy for a further 100 megatonne reduction and outlined a number of current and potential actions that should enable Canada to address the remaining 60 megatonne reduction. These programs lay the groundwork for long-term behavioural, technological, and economic change and give individual Canadians the tools that they need to do their part. The public education and outreach component of the Climate Change Action Fund (CCAF) builds awareness and understanding and provides Canadians with the information necessary to take responsible action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Other CCAF programs are directed at the residential, commercial, industrial and transportation sectors and include funding for science as well as early actions to reduce emissions and increase understanding of impacts and adaptation in the public and private sectors.
Linkages
Climate change is linked to stratospheric ozone depletion,
primarily because the most important ozone-depleting
substances (chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons)
are also powerful greenhouse gases and because
ozone itself is a greenhouse gas. Actions taken to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions will also contribute to
improved air quality, since the burning of fossil fuels
creates both greenhouse gases and gases that cause air
pollution. Transportation indicators can be linked directly
to climate change, given the dependence of transportation
on fossil fuels. Greenhouse gas emissions are also
related to the type of land use, since the amount of
forested land and land under intense agriculture affects
the amount of sources and sinks of greenhouse gases.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada tracks the contribution
of agricultural production to greenhouse gas emissions
and the potential for agricultural soils to act as a carbon
sink and thus offset carbon dioxide emissions.
The Canadian Council of
Forest Ministers is tracking
ways in which forests can
help mitigate climate change
through the use of indicators
related to forest sector carbon
dioxide conservation
and forest ecosystem contributions
to the global carbon
budget. Adjusting land use
patterns to encourage more
forests, other plant cover,
and soils to act as carbon
sinks will have the added
benefit of setting aside
wildlife habitat and restive
natural landscapes. Energy
production is mostly done
through the combustion of
fossil fuels, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions; therefore,
indicators of energy efficiency are strongly linked to
the issue of climate change.
Challenges
Anticipated climate change is a very serious concern
for Canada and the world. We are only now beginning to
see the results of long-term processes that will continue
for centuries to come. Changing the habits of individuals
across the globe will require strong leadership and
commitment in order to adequately curb emissions and
adapt to climate change. There is also a need to start
tracking what our response has been to the issue in
order to determine which programs have been successful
or show the most promise. A greater understanding
of the effects of global climate change on regional and
local environmental systems is needed to help determine
appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Websites of interest
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