Patterns of Our Footsteps - Addressing the Trends, Overcoming Inertia

October 26th, 2012

We have recently released, Inertia, an animated video, the first in the Meeting the Climate Change Challenge (MC3) series. This animation illuminates the political gridlock produced from the debate on the human impacts of climate change. A recent study conducted by Insightrix Research Inc. for the International Performance Assessment Centre for Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide (June, 2012) shows that, of a representative sample of 1550 Canadians surveyed, 98% believe human-induced climate change is occurring. However, even with popular consensus that climate change is a real and significant issue, political gridlock and inertia at the decision-making level seriously affects our ability to act.

The graph below displays Canadian CO2 emissions through combusting fossil fuels and making cement with changes in average precipitation levels and temperatures (from normal levels calculated for the 1961 to 1990 period). Trends for all three variables plotted over the last 50 years are increasing, in short, we are producing more emissions, precipitation is increasing, and temperature is also increasing.

These increases in precipitation and temperature trends clearly demonstrate the need for adaptation strategies—our climate is and has changed and it is imperative that we implement adaptation strategies now. The increases in CO2 emissions show us there is also a need for mitigation strategies—we are producing increasingly more greenhouse gases (GHG) and we need to work (with the global community) to reduce our GHG contributions.

 

Data sources - Carbon dioxide emission data was retrieved from the World Bank Group, and precipitation and temperature data were retrieved from Statistics Canada.

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