Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystems & Wildlife

Climate and soil conditions are major environmental determinants for plant and animal species growth and location. Predicted climate changes (especially warming) will likely have profound impacts on most all ecosystems across Canada. Some ecosystems may be stressed or disappear completely, while entirely new ones may emerge. Projected sea level rise is highly likely to reduce or relocate existing recreational beaches. Direct and indirect effects on tourism will include beach loss, impacted infrastructure, and ecosystem degradation.

 Climate Change Impacts on Human Health

There will likely be changes in the incidence, distribution and severity of vector and flood borne disease caused by a combination of changes in temperature, precipitation, and extreme events. These may include possible increases in the incidence and distribution of vector-borne diseases such as: West Nile virus, Lyme disease, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Malaria and Dengue. As with the mass deaths (30,000) recently from a heat wave in Western Europe, we may also experience similar Health impact of thermal extremes, especially in vulnerable sectors of the community including the elderly, frail and ill.

Climate Change Impacts on Public and Private Infrastructure

We should expect more frequent, high-intensity rainfall and flash floods placing ever greater burden on our dykes, storm sewers and sanitary systems. Changes in the distribution and range of river and coastal ice, compounded by ice break-up and extreme events, will likely increase damage to our river and coastal infrastructure. Buried municipal infrastructure is also at risk of being inundated or damaged by sea-level rise.  

Climate Change Impacts on Resource Industries

Forestry

While climate is predicted to significantly change over the next century, forests migration to newly emerging ecosystems may take even longer. For example, even though climate conditions may be suitable for a temperate forest in Newfoundland, forest soil conditions may not become suitable for existing species for many centuries.

As a result, forest species will be forced to grow in emerging climates they are no longer adapted to. This shift in climate induced ecosystems, along with climate induced insect infestations and blow down susceptibility, freeze-thaw root damage, and drought & convective storm (thunderstorm & lighting) induced forest fires, will likely cause significant forest dieback. This deterioration in forest health will diminish the forests natural ability to absorb or ‘sink’ CO2, a prime green house gas contributing to global warming.

The Fishery

Furthermore, fish spawning and reproduction cycles are likely to be stressed by warming ocean temperatures, and by shifts in near shore currents that normally contain marine nutrients (fish food). For example, because of differences in marine temperatures, Atlantic cod off the coast of Labrador and the Northern Grand Banks reach sexual maturity at an age of seven years, compared with their sexual maturity rates within two years off George's Bank. A change in ocean currents could bring very different ocean temperatures and nutrient flows, but accurately predicting climate change impacts on the fishery is difficult considering its biological and socio-economic complexity.

Agriculture

It will be difficult to make long-term decisions about seasonal or annual crop planting practices, as climate change will affect temperatures, precipitation levels, and seasonality. Changes in the diversity and types of crops able to be grown, and changes in pests, mould types, and weeds will make farmer’s lives very challenging indeed.