Is the Earth really getting warmer?
Yes! Scientists have kept records of the climate for a long time. What they have found is that the warmest eight years in the past 140 years were in the 1990s. Glaciers are melting in even the coldest places on Earth and severe weather has become more frequent. While we don't know what all the effects will be in the future, so far it doesn't look good. Internationally, countries are working together to figure out how they will reduce greenhouse gas emissions to lessen the impact of climate change.
Why is the Earth getting warmer?
Below is a picture that helps to show how our actions affect the Earth's climate.
Courtesy of The Pembina Institute for Appropriate Technology
Over the past 300 years, we have used fossil fuels like coal and gas to produce energy to power cars, heat homes and produce products. These processes release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. At the same time, we have cut down forests, drained marshes and damaged other parts of the landscape that absorb and store carbon dioxide. The result has been a big increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, as seen in the graph.
The greenhouse gases create a layer around the Earth that prevents heat from escaping the atmosphere, causing the climate to change. The Government of Canada has a web site that provides more detail about the science of climate change and this process: http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/english/workroom/students/greenhouse.shtml
As the Earth warms, Canada's climate will change. Plants that grow within certain temperatures and moisture levels will begin to move northward as their old locations become warmer or drier. The predicted impact of these changes is illustrated below.
See what's happening in the Arctic.
Watch this 14-minute video, which documents climate changes being witnessed by the people of Sachs Harbour in the Canadian Arctic. They are seeing unusual insects and animals on their island; the sea ice is thinner and further from the community, carrying with it the seals and polar bears that people depend on for food; and permafrost melting has caused an inland lake to drain into the ocean and foundations of the community's buildings to shift and crumble.
Could this be northern Manitoba's future?
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