Climate Change

Climate change is a shift in long-term average weather patterns, which can include changes in temperature and in precipitation amounts. The international scientific community agrees that there has been a significant change in global climate in recent years, particularly in the polar areas, due largely to the burning of fossil fuels for transportation and industrial processes. These activities emit greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.

Canada's climate is changing too: temperatures are rising, particularly in the Arctic, where permafrost is thawing and the ocean's ice cover is shrinking. Even greater changes are expected in the future, including a continued rise in temperatures, shifts in rainfall patterns, and increases in certain types of hazardous weather, such as heavy spring rains and heat waves. As a cold northern country, Canada will be one of the most greatly affected countries in the world.

This section contains information on present and future projections of climate change in Canada, as well as the causes and impacts of this change and the measures being taken to reduce them.