Part D. Climate Change and Other Consequences
“Edmonton Wet” by Kurt Bauschardt is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Wildfires
Traffic builds up as the residents of Fort McMurray try to escape the wildfire that destroyed much of their town in 2016.
As climate change continues to warm the Earth, our summers will become longer, hotter and drier. This means that Canada will likely have more wildfires. It also means those wildfires may be larger and burn longer.
As the number and strength of fires increases, more towns in forested areas may have to be evacuated, and more homes and buildings will be burned down. The smoke from these added wildfires will also add to air pollution in nearby areas, meaning we will have more smoggy days here in Edmonton as a result.
Attribution: “Landscape view of wildfire near Highway 63 in south Fort McMurray” by DarrenRD is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. The licensor does not necessarily endorse this use of the material.
Thunderstorms and Other Extreme Weather
Lightning flashes over downtown Edmonton.
As climate change progresses, all kinds of extreme weather events are likely to become more common. Lightning and thunderstorms are probably going to happen more often in Edmonton. The best way to stay safe during these thunderstorms is to stay inside to avoid lightning.
Other types of extreme weather, such as tornadoes and droughts, may also happen more often.
For more information on lightning safety, go to https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/lightning/safety/overview.html
Attribution: “Edmonton Wet” by Kurt Bauschardt is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Disease Migration
A mosquito rests on a “Welcome to Edmonton” sign on the City’s border. As climate change continues, many new kinds of bugs and germs may begin to move to Edmonton.
Animals, plants and germs need specific climate conditions to live. As those conditions change, wildlife will move around. For some diseases and disease-carrying bugs, that means moving deeper into Canada. This means that illnesses like West-Nile Virus and Lyme Disease, both carried by bugs like mosquitoes and ticks, could become more common in Edmonton.
Edmonton already has mosquitoes and ticks, but most of those bugs don’t carry diseases. As Edmonton’s climate changes, these diseases could become more common in the bugs we already have. Or, new bugs that do carry germs could move into Edmonton and begin spreading the germs to humans.
Sources:
City of Edmonton. (n.d.). West Nile virus in Edmonton. Retrieved July/August, 2020, from https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/pests/west-nile-virus-in-edmonton.aspx
Environment and Climate Change Canada. (2019, April 16). Warm Season Weather Hazards. Retrieved July/August, 2020, from https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/seasonal-weather-hazards/warm-season-weather-hazards.html
NASA. (2019, September 11). Satellite Data Record Shows Climate Change's Impact on Fires – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. Retrieved July/August, 2020, from https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2912/satellite-data-record-shows-climate-changes-impact-on-fires/
Natural Resources Canada. (2020, July 07). Climate change and fire. Retrieved July/August, 2020, from https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/our-natural-resources/forests-forestry/wildland-fires-insects-disturban/climate-change-fire/13155
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2018, February 21). Climate change, forest fires and your health. Retrieved July/August, 2020, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/environmental-public-health-climate-change/climate-change-public-health-factsheets-forest.html
Stocks, B. J., & Ward, P. C. (2011). Climate change, carbon sequestration, and forest fire protection in the Canadian boreal zone (Canada, Government of Ontario, Ministry of Natural Resources). Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Ontario: Science and Information Resources Division, Ministry of Natural Resources.
Warren, F.J. and Lemmen, D.S., editors (2014): Canada in a Changing Climate: Sector Perspectives on Impacts and Adaptation; Government of Canada, Ottawa, ON, 286p.