EnergyBC

Climate Change (more...)

"Climate change" is the changing weather - temperature, winds, precipitation, etc.

Greenhouse Gases

GHG	Comes From	Percent Increase Since Pre-Industrial Level (1700's)
H`2`O
CO`2`	Burning of fossil fuels	30%
CH`4`	Burning of natural gas; livestock; landfills	145%
N`2`O	Fertilizers	15%
O`3`
CFC's, HFC's, PFC's, SF`6`	Refrigeration, heating, insulation, etc.

- haven't seen levels like this in at least the past 400,000 years (IPCC, 3rd Assessment Report, 2001)

Global Warming

- there are natural cycles of warming and cooling, but overall there is an average heating trend with a global temperature increase of around 0.6°C within the past 100 years

- there is agreement amongst scientists that there is enough evidence to back claims that these trends are caused by human activities

Local Warming - BC and the Yukon

- BC and the Yukon have seen increasing nighttime temperatures and fewer days with temperatures below zero degrees

- there has been a longer growing season and a shorter snowy season with faster snow melts

- there has also been an increasing frequency of winter storms, including the devastating blizzard of 1996-97

Kyoto Protocol - international treaty agreed to in Kyoto, Japan in 1997

- addresses the issue of climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, especially by cutting back on the burning of oil, gas and coal by moving on to other forms of alternative energy production

- under Kyoto, Canada is required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6% compared to 1990 levels - that's 18% compared to today's emissions!

- developing countries, including India and China, are exempt from Kyoto at this point in time

Canada on a Global Perspective - Canada's average temperature has risen around 1°C from 1950-2000

- observations seem to link changes in weather to these changes in temperature

- the average Canadian produces four times the global average of greenhouse gas emissions

- the government of Canada has set many plans in action to meet its Kyoto goals (Climate Change Plan for Canada)

- the government has also issued a personal challenge to all Canadians to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions from five tonnes per year down to four (One-Tonne Challenge)

Impacts of Climate Change - some of the impacts associated with climate change are: the melting of ice and snow (glaciers, polar ice, arctic ice, etc.), extreme weather phenomena (increased storms, droughts, floods), changing ecosystems, human health issues (smog, air pollution, fresh water shortages, possibly diseases), and damage to the economy

- warming tends to affect the polar regions, especially in the north, more than the equatorial regions, and the centers of the continents

- one model done by the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research shows a likely increase greater than 10°C in the northern arctic from the years 1960-1990 to 2070-2100

- changes in precipitation are also likely - the Hadley Center model shows average variations of -2 to +2 mm/day in various regions around the globe from 1960-1990 to 2070-2100

Impacts in BC - less snow means less runoff to glacially fed rivers, and regional hydrologists have already noticed changes in the timing and patterns of river flow in BC

- less water in rivers and lakes, along with warmer water temperatures, could lead to increased fish mortality

- sea level increases of around 1mm/year been noted at most ports in BC

- mild winters have led to an increase in mountain pine beetles (tree pests)

- warmer weather dries out forests, increasing the risk of forest fires

Reduction of Greenhouse Gases

- the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to identify the areas that produce the most emissions and work towards different solutions within those areas

Transportation	- Passenger vehicles (cars, trucks, SUV's, minivans)
Electricity Generation	- Burning of coal in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Ontario - Natural gas is a better alternative, but still produces greenhouse gases (only a temporary solution)
Industry	- Oil and gas extractors and refineries; utilities; cement; iron and steel production; chemical and aluminum industries
Homes and Offices	- Oil and gas is used for space heating, as well as for lighting, cooking, etc.
Landfills	- Methane is generated by decomposing organic matter

- cleaner, more efficient energy sources are discussed in Alternate Energy

- changing land use to have more forests and other plant cover to act as carbon sinks will help to extract extra CO2 from the atmosphere

Urban Air Quality - the burning of fossil fuels is a major contributor to the problem of air pollution

Further Details