Wedge Advisory Note – Section 2
Advice on a Long-term Strategy on Energy and Climate Change
Section II: Protecting Canada’s National Interest
Canada is in a unique position
As a major producer and exporter of energy, Canada has a national interest in climate change that is unique among the highly industrialized countries.
Canada’s domestic and international policy response to climate change needs to be firmly rooted in a clear assessment of its national interest, which encompasses its economy, its environment and the quality of life of its citizens. Only in this way will Canada be in a position to effectively mitigate and adapt to climate change, while pursuing significant opportunities that may lie ahead.
In previous work on climate change, the NRTEE determined that the following special features of Canada’s national interest are directly relevant to the question of climate change:
- As a major consumer, producer and exporter of energy, Canada is unique among the highly industrialized countries and the signatories to Kyoto. In essence, Canada faces the climate change challenge from both the energy-producing and energy-consuming perspectives.
- Canada is likely to experience greater impacts than any other industrialized nation, given its northern continent-wide geography and resource-based economy.
For these reasons, Canada is uniquely motivated to mitigate its contribution to climate change and to take advantage of the real economic opportunities that will arise from a strategic response.
The Dangers of Inaction
The NRTEE members believe that working to mitigate and adapt to climate change should figure as one of the federal government’s chief policy priorities. Urgent action is required. Recent reports measuring the rate of increase in melting of the Greenland ice cap and the Antarctic ice cap suggest that previous studies may have underestimated the speed of the deterioration in both cases.
As an Arctic nation, Canada has first-hand experience with the implications of climate change. These changes have implications for our sovereignty as the Northwest Passage becomes easily navigable and increasing challenges arise to the traditional way of life of the Inuit, as their natural food sources diminish with the degradation of habitat. It also has significant implications for the Ekati and Diavik diamond mines and the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. In the absence of permafrost, entirely new construction technologies will need to be developed to realize the potential of these resources.
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But the North is not the only area that will undergo negative consequences.
Water and the Hydrological Cycle
Several regions of Canada are already facing water stresses, and these are likely to increase as the result of projected climate change. While sea levels may rise, water levels could fall in the Great Lakes and in many rivers and streams, creating economic and environmental impacts. Agriculture, industry, oil sands development, hydroelectric generation and communities could find themselves competing for the reduced water flows. Where snowmelt is currently an important part of the hydrological regime (such as in Alberta), seasonal shifts in runoff are likely, potentially reducing summer flow. Possible changes in the frequency, intensity and/or duration of heavy precipitation events may require significant investments in land use planning and infrastructure to avoid damage arising from flooding, landslides, sewage overflows and releases of contaminants to natural water bodies.
Key Ecosystems and Related Natural Resource Sectors
The forestry sector has always had to manage for climate variability. However, the magnitude of the climate changes likely to face the sector over the coming decades may be unprecedented within the history of the industry. As the map shows, the area favourable for the boreal forest – which sustains an industry responsible for about half of Canada’s annual wood harvest – shifts northward by several hundred kilometres in a scenario where atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide increase to about 550 parts per million (compared to current atmospheric levels of 375 ppm). Over the next century, the existing boreal forest throughout the Prairies and Northern Ontario could come under severe stress and would likely experience significant dieback. Compounding the problem would be the increases in insect, disease and fire-related losses expected with climate change.
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© 2013