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Climate Change





Climate Change Information

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Frequently Asked Questions About Climate Change

Have questions about climate change? Here are a few questions and answers to help get you started. For more information, check out our climate change resources or see our related websites list for other helpful resources.

How will climate change affect agriculture in Canada?

Climate change will have a variety of effects on agriculture. Increased temperatures may lengthen prairie growing seasons, with the possibility of increased production in northern regions; however, these regions are limited by soil capability. It must also be kept in mind that while a rise in temperature may mean a longer growing season and arable area, it will also have other, adverse affects. Current trends indicate that the prairie climate of the future will feature increased temperatures, a lack of moisture and increased rates of evaporation.

These factors could result in severe droughts, while hot, dry temperatures will create more favorable conditions for weeds and insects. There will also be a risk of poor herbicide performance. Taken together, these changes could reduce the potential of crop yields. Livestock production would be affected as well. Insects and diseases that livestock are unaccustomed to would move into their area as climate changed. While cold stress on animals would decrease in the winter, this advantage would be offset by an increase in heat stress during the summer.

Climate change will modify rainfall, evaporation, runoff, and soil moisture storage. With a warmer, dryer climate, there will be increased pressure to develop crop varieties resistant to drought. Agriculture is the largest consumer of water in arid and semi-arid regions like the Canadian Prairies -- climate change would mean good quality water supplies would become even more crucial and contentious than they are today.

Which gases are the largest contributors to global warming?

Next to water vapour, carbon dioxide gas (CO2), released when coal, oil, or natural gas are burned to produce electricity, heat, and transportation, is the largest contributor to global warming. Methane (CH4), another large contributor to climate change, is released through rice fields, digestive waste from ruminant animals (cattle, sheep, wild animals), coal mining, wetlands and natural gas venting, and biomass burning (incomplete combustion). Nitrogen oxide (N2O)is another greenhouse gas. It is released through the use of nitrogen fertilizers, wood burning, and some industrial processes.

What amount of greenhouse gases are in our atmosphere right now?

Before the Industrial Revolution of 1750-1800, levels of C02 were recorded at about 280 parts per millionth volume, or ppmv. These levels have steadily risen since. In 1958, levels were at 315 ppmv, in 1990, they were at 353 ppmv. In the spring of 2001, the levels were measured at roughly 375 ppmv. In the past 200-250 years, the amount of methane in our atmosphere has risen as well, from 0.8 ppmv to roughly 1.75 ppmv in spring 2001. Nitrous Oxide (N2O) has increased from .28 ppmv in the pre-industrial era, to current rates of roughly .31 ppmv.

Which greenhouse gases are created by Canadian agriculture?

A. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada estimates that agriculture accounts for 10 per cent of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock and manure account for 58 per cent of these gases; crops for 37 per cent. About two-thirds of these gases are in the form of nitrogen oxide, or N20, while one-third of these gases are CH4, or methane. The production of carbon dioxide levels through agriculture have abated to an almost negligible amount. However, agriculture can be useful in sequestering, or trapping, carbon from our atmosphere.

Which best management practices work best to reduce climate change?

There are a number of ways that producers can manage their operations to make them as environmentally friendly as possible. Agriculture can help minimize the impact of climate change if producers:

  • Plant trees and shrubs to store carbon dioxide
  • Convert from traditional plowing practices to conservation tillage (reduced or zero-till)
  • Grow cover crops during the winter, such as alfalfa or hay
  • Let marginal lands rest (i.e. take these lands out of production)
  • Rotate crops to preserve soils
  • Plant vegetation with deeper roots to prevent soil erosion
  • Store manure as compost.

While there will always be some emissions of greenhouse gases through agriculture, improved farm management will ensure a reduction of these gases to an acceptable level. Improved practices might even mean a net removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through its storage in soils.

What is the best way to reduce methane emissions when storing manure?

How manure is stored can affect the amount of greenhouse gases it emits. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions are smaller for compost than for slurry or stockpile. In terms of dairy manure, slurry emits 1.9 times more greenhouse gases than compost; stockpiled manure emits 1.5 times more. For beef manure, emissions of methane and nitrous oxide are much lower than in dairy. Slurry emitted 4-6 times more gases than compost, while stockpiling was 1.3 times higher than compost.

How valuable are trees for preventing climate change?

Trees are a valuable tool in the fight against climate change, as researchers at the Shelterbelt Centre have discovered. Their work has determined how much carbon is fixed in a variety of tree species. The results prove that shelterbelts are extremely useful in sequestering greenhouse gases.

A mature poplar tree sequesters 266 kg of carbon, green ash traps 63 kgs; a white spruce tree will capture 143 kg, and a caragana tree will sequester 39 kg. At the recommended spacings for shelterbelts, these values translate into 106 tonnes per km for poplar, 25 t/km for green ash, 41 t/km for white spruce, and 26 t/km for caragana. These figures don't include the amount of carbon that will become sequestered in the trees roots, which may equal roughly 50 to 75 per cent of these amounts.

On top of these benefits, shelterbelts also reduce energy usage. While a homestead is protected by a mature shelterbelt, its heating bills will be reduced by as much as 25 per cent. This means a reduction in fossil fuel use.

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Related Links

Resource Catalog

To learn more about climate change, what best management practices can positively influence our climate, and who you can contact for more information, please download your free copy of this resource catalog.

This catalog was completed through the Climate Change Action Fund Agriculture Awareness Partnership under the lead of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada and in conjunction with the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, the Eastern Canada Soil and Water Conservation Centre, and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

External web sites

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Climate Change Action Fund (CCAF) Agricultural Awareness Partnership Project

Planting shelterbelts has been designated as a best management practice by the Climate Change Action Fund (CCAF) Agricultural Awareness Partnership Project. The CCAF was established in 1998 by the federal government to help Canada meet its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is intended to support early actions to reduce GHG and to increase understanding of the impact, cost and benefits of implementation and options open to Canada.

A key issue for the agricultural regions of Canada is climate. Climate change impacts are significant in balancing future economic development and have potential environmental consequences. The agriculture sector, especially producers, can play a key role in emission reduction and sequestration of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

Q. What are the goals of the CCAF Awareness Partnership Project?

  • To increase awareness (producers and the general public) of the GHG issues and solutions (carbon sequestration, emission reductions) relative to the agri-food industry
  • To build and strengthen the national network of organizations, agencies, and institutions that can contribute to agricultural solutions to GHG issues
  • To identify and promote best management practices

Q. Who are the partners?


Q. What are the Benefits of the CCAF Awareness Partnership Project?

  • Improved awareness and understanding of agriculture's impact on GHG budget and climate change
  • Positive attitude by private and public sectors for actions to reduce GHG emissions based on practices which reduce energy consumption
  • Positive attitude in the agriculture sector for actions to reduce GHG emissions (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane) and to sequester carbon, while also supporting sustainable growth and development of the agricultural industry
  • Joint industry/government approach to create support for adoption of sustained GHG emission reduction and carbon sequestration actions
  • Demonstration projects and adoption of agricultural practices which sequester carbon (agroforestry, range management, direct seeding and model farms) and for reducing GHG emissions (manure management and reduced tillage)

Q. What are Some of the Key Best Management Practices to Foster GHG Reductions?

  • Tree Planting on Agricultural Lands - Trees planted on agricultural land are a clear example of "afforestation" – that is, the planting of trees on land which was not previously forested. This mainly includes trees planted for shelterbelts and wildlife habitat, in riparian areas, and as tree plantations. As such, trees will qualify under the Kyoto Protocol as a legitimate carbon offset. Shelterbelts and other agroforestry plantations, and their GHG benefits, are easily visible, verifiable and measurable.
  • Soil Conservation and Soil Erosion Reduction – The knowledge and acceptance of soil conservation measures continues to evolve. Scientific studies have clearly demonstrated that erosion has a significant effect on crop yields. Significant erosion is occurring in the land scape, well beyond rates of soil formation. As a result, there is an economic incentive for producers and the public to promote soil conservation practices.
  • Fertilizer Management – Improving the efficiency of fertilizer application through improved timing, and reduction of leaching, runoff and erosion losses will increase the proportion of the fertilizer that is used by the crop and reduce nitrous oxide emissions. Improved fertilizer use efficiency may also increase plant production, which could aid in sequestering carbon.
  • Grazing Management – Opportunity exists to influence the GHG equation by improving management of grazing resources. Improved management on the Prairies can result in benefits to producers' income and the management of GHG emissions. Appropriate stocking rates, seeding with appropriate grass and legume species, improving range condition, and other techniques are being assessed on a biological/ecological basis, and the results and potential impacts need to be effectively communicated to landowners.
  • Land Use Conversion and Land Use Enhancements – Forages in Rotation – The value of forages and their role in land use decisions to address environmental issues remains an important challenge for agriculture. In addition to the value of carbon sequestered, the promotion of appropriate agricultural land use provides other benefits including: reduced soil degradation; improved water quality in surface and aquifer waters; enhanced wildlife habitats; reduced summerfallow acreage; reduced fossil fuel use; and enhanced agricultural productivity of cultivated and pasture lands.
  • Permanent Forage Cover on environmentally Sensitive Lands – Altering management practices on marginal lands can increase carbon sequestration. Factors affecting carbon retention in soils include: increasing the cycle time of carbon in plant materials and soil organic matter by reducing tillage; taking full advantage of the growing season to produce more plant and root material by including perennial forages in the crop rotation; increasing the use of fertilizer to enhance plant and root production and selecting optimal varieties for yield and root mass production which affect carbon retention.
  • Manure Management – Of all agricultural GHG emissions, animal excretions (and their handling) contribute the largest portion, mostly due to methane and nitrous oxide emissions. In total, agriculture contributes 26 per cent of the methane, and 63 per cent of the nitrous oxide emissions in Canada. Small improvements in efficiencies and knowledge in production and manure handling practices will significantly reduce agriculture's GHG emissions.

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