Essay Example on the Climatic Change in Canada

Canada is the second largest country by area which is slightly smaller than Europe, which has more than forty countries. All the eight regions in Canada have got different physical features ranging from lakes, rivers which are subject to climatic change. For instance, the Western Cordillera comprises the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific oceans. The climatic condition of Canada varies from one region of the country to another with some parts being temperate such as the south to subarctic in the north (Rosol et al., 5). Canada is a coastal country with nearly all provinces except Alberta and Saskatchewan sharing the coastline. Indigenous people, the Metis and Inuit, have very close ties with the coast and depend on activities that are conducted along the coastal regions. This paper will focus on the impacts of climatic change in Canada informed by the current climatic changes in the country as demonstrated by their projected effects on agricultural, health, energy, and water supply.

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Prairies regions in Canada are known to support agriculture in the country. Most parts of Canada were believed to be under ice, and currently, only onepercent of the country is under ice (Lesk 84). The precipitation changes are a significant threat to agricultur, and the country's dry land changes have adverse effects on food production. For instance, the dry, hot spring experienced in 2016 caused severe drought which was eventually accompanied by torrential rains which caused flooding in most areas of the country, and this, significantly affected farming in the country. Although some of the changes might favor agriculture, such unpredictable climatic changes might have profound effects on farming. Considering these changes, some of the anticipated changes over the next century include reduction of lake levels which will also affect food production. The projected changes in the falling water level and increasing soil water deficits are likely to affect agricultural production, and consequently industries depending on agricultural products.

The changes in the ecosystem of the coastal regions are likely to affect the livelihood of communities living along the coastal lines. According to a report on the global climatic change in Canada, the coastal economies are based on fisheries agriculture and transportation (Kelly et al., 60). As such, climatic changes such as hydrology and ocean water properties are likely to have effects of the activities which depend on the ocean. Over the next century, there are to be increased water temperatures in addition to a reduction in sea water level. These are likely to affect marine life such salmon which are vital in the marine life ecosystem. However, these changes are likely also to influence the sea ice, which has a positive impact on tourism because it would result in longer summer seasons of tourism, but with the reduction in cold weather recreational activities. These projections are justified by the recent weather events along the coastal regions. For instance, severe storms were experienced on the East coast, such as, the Juan in 2013, which had severe effects on the ocean.

The changes in marine life due to climatic change are likely to have effects on the general health of communities which depend on seafood. As posited by Rosol et al., the Inuit communities' source of vitamin D is mainly marine animals and substituting these foods which others such as duck which have less content of vitamin D puts the life of such communities at risk. Inuit have less exposure to light during the year, and these foods serve as their primary source of vitamin D. The latter example shows the effects of climatic changes on the health of certain communities in Canada. Also, the increased temperatures in the country have also resulted in health effects causing deaths. For instance, more than eighty deaths in 2018 were associated with the impact of the Quebec summer of 2018 with reports that such summers are to be experienced in the years to come.

The climatic change in Canada is likely to affect the energy supply in Canada. According to a report by Ontario Center for Climatic Impacts and Adaptation Resources (OCCIAR), climatic changes have had effects on country's energy supply evident from 2004 and 2010 heat and high temperatures which increased the energy demand due to the increase in the use of air conditioners (Kelly et al., 60). The report was based on Ontario where temperatures are expected to increase over the coming years. The energy levels in the country are expected to occur due to a decrease in water levels of the great lakes, especially Lake Michigan and Huron. This decline profoundly affects electric power generation. In addition to the changes in lakes water levels, nuclear power production and windmills are also at the verge of collapse due to climatic changes such as the increase in water temperature and variability in wind speeds respectively.

Climatic changes in Canada are likely to affect water supply in the country due to weather unpredictability, which results in persistent droughts. Canada drier parts such Alberta depend on the Glacier on mountains in British Columbia. Glaciers in the mountains are the primary sources of most rivers that flow to the drier parts of the country (Szeto et al., S44). The article further postulates that the increasing temperatures are causing the ice to melt at an increasing rate, which has profound effects on water supply in the drier parts of the country. This is also apparent in flooding experienced in the country, such as the Alberta floods in 2013. Going by this extreme weather changes, most parts of the country are likely to experience problems with water supply. Glaciers store frozen water during winter and release water over time as temperature rises, and as such, melting at a faster rate threatens the livelihood of people living downstream due to the reduction which would result in drought.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the projected effects of climatic changes in Canada are informed by the impact of changes on agriculture, among others. For instance, agriculture is likely to be affected by increasing drought in the country, leaving most parts unable to support agriculture. This will also affect industries which depend on agricultural products. Indigenous communities in the country such as the Inuit's depends on the seafood for their daily livelihoods, but with changes such as reduction sea level effects, marine life which has been a major source of food for the communities on the coastal parts of the country is likely to be affected. The projected impact of climatic changes is also to be witnessed in the water supply and energy levels in the country, which is both due to the effects of climatic changes on water bodies.

Works Cited

Kelly, Brianne, et al. "Energy as a driver of change in the GreatLakes-St. Lawrence River basin." Journal of Great Lakes Research 41 (2015): 59-68.

Lesk, Corey, Pedram Rowhani, and Navin Ramankutty. "Influence of extreme weather disasters on global crop production." Nature 529.7584 (2016): 84.

Rosol, Renata, Stephanie Powell-Hellyer, and Hing Man Chan. "Impacts of decline harvest of country food on nutrient intake among Inuit in Arctic Canada: impact of climate change and possible adaptation plan." International journal of circumpolar health 75.1 (2016): 31127. 3-5

Szeto, Kit, et al. "The 2015 extreme drought in Western Canada." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 97.12 (2016): S42-S46.