Trees “breathe”: carbon in, oxygen out. It allows us to better understand the impacts of climate change on Canada’s ecosystems, communities and economy. You will not receive a reply. And that makes forests gigantic vaults that hold a lot of carbon. Part 1 of the infographic shows some of the impacts of climate change. However it is vital that it is done right. The spread of infectious diseases to new regions. The science is clear. In some forests, like Canada’s boreal forest, the soil beneath the forest stores more carbon than all the above ground vegetation. Image of a scientific building with a wind-measurement tool on the roof. A wetland near an urban area can prevent flooding when extreme rain events occur.

"Humanity is conducting an unintended, uncontrolled, globally pervasive experiment whose ultimate consequences could be second only to a global nuclear war." Last year, Canada’s federal government made an important and exciting announcement – in the next decade, we will plant over 2 billion trees to help fight climate change. It may be surprising to many Canadians, but our forests, including the boreal, have been net emitters of carbon for close to two decades.

They also have substantial economic ramifications. Government of Canada’s World-Class Science.

The first impacts of global warming - increasing floods, droughts, spreading diseases and melting glaciers - are now evident on every continent and in most nations. Taken together, forests, other ecosystems, and agricultural land have a tremendous potential to help fight climate change, by reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. Yes to Two Billion Trees…done right. All plants, from moss to trees, absorb carbon from the air as they grow. But they couldn’t possibly do all the work. This could result in a 20 percent loss of species, such as polar bears, songbirds and waterfowl in the Arctic and the boreal forest. For more information please see the Canadian Centre for Climate Services Climate information basics page. A global study found that these landscapes could provide more than one-third of the climate action needed to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius.

Undertaking farming in certain ways—such as not tilling the land—can increase soil carbon. Image of a greenhouse gas monitoring station.

Here are seven things that Canadians need to know about climate change and forests and, more generally, nature-based climate solutions. Burning these fuels adds additional greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, trapping heat and warming the planet. The infographic concludes with the following text: Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and Canada’s climate science is making a difference. Image depicting a polar bear on an ice floe. The Canadian government’s commitment to plant two billion trees over the next ten years is potentially a great initiative that could provide multiple benefits. So far, we’ve looked at how landscapes and climate change interact – but what should Canada be doing to ensure that our forests are part of the solution to climate change? Section subtitle is What are we doing?

that human activities have caused concentrations of greenhouse gases (such as water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and CFCs) to rise significantly over the last 200 years. Here’s why Shell should quit CAPP, the Canadian oil lobby. When a tree is cut down, it releases the carbon it has stored. Infographic depicting some of the impacts of climate change and Environment and Climate Change Canada’s climate science. Rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases have already begun to change the global climate. The ten warmest years on record have all happened since 1998, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. As those trees go down, still more carbon is released. Nature-based climate solutions such as preserving forests and improving agricultural practices have a role in limiting climate change. Offsets are often used by polluters such as oil and gas or manufacturing companies to meet climate regulations, so badly designed offset rules can undermine climate action in Canada. The subtitle is Climate Change is Affecting Canada and the World. This rise is primarily a result of our over-use of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and gas. And that means planting the right types of trees in the right places for the right reasons. They also have substantial economic ramifications. Continuing to use fossil fuels will just dig the hole deeper and deeper and deeper, no matter how many trees we plant. Or it can be degraded, made less productive and resilient due to industrial development. On the surface of the globe, there are images depicting a number of scientific activities. Intact ecosystems that haven’t been degraded by logging or other industrial activities are also more resilient to climatic changes that have begun already, and will ramp up over time. Significant increases in extreme weather events such as storms, and floods. Associated text: Rising global temperature. Here are seven things that Canadians need to know about climate change and forests and, more generally, nature-based climate solutions. Image of a city including cars, a building and trees. What these and other studies also showed is that changing the way we treat ecosystems and farms creates valuable benefits that go beyond climate change and carbon emissions. Canadian forests, fisheries and physical infrastructure would also be at risk. Statement from the World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere (Toronto, June 1988). If we preserve these landscapes, we get both. This section includes one large image of the globe. 100 times Canada’s current annual emissions, net emitters of carbon for close to two decades, Top 6 not-so-average eco-gift ideas: COVID edition. Frankly, I am concerned that the reason there is increased attention on nature-based climate solutions is because climate activists have made progress targeting oil and gas, pipeline, and coal companies. By reducing CO2 emissions over the coming decade, wealthy nations like Canada can help prevent unnecessary loss of life, reduce human suffering and economic disruption from global warming, and save plants and animals from being wiped out over wide areas in the future. Associated text: Extensive ongoing measurements of snow cover, sea-ice extent, water levels, and other important climate variables. Animals and plants can survive better within large tracts of natural landscapes, especially as temperatures warm and precipitation patterns change. Associated text: Rising global temperature. And yet one square km of boreal forest holds twice as much carbon as a square kilometre in the Amazon. However, if offset rules are lax, they can allow different degrees of greenwashing. Reducing fossil fuel usage is even more important. According to the 2019 report Canada's Changing Climate Report (CCCR) which was commissioned by Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada's annual average temperature over land has warmed by 1.7 C since 1948. Image depicting a thermometer overlaid over a map for the world.

(The same academic researchers are doing a Canadian study that should be published soon.). For example: There are many more examples of “green infrastructure” that should be considered when municipalities of all sizes are making decisions about needed infrastructure. And yes also to eliminating the production, use, and export of fossil fuels. Over the next 50 to 100 years, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are expected to double or even triple, leading to global temperature increases of between 1.5 and 5.9 degrees Celsius over a very short period of time (relative to earlier global temperature changes which took place over 5,000 - 20,000 years). BUT ALSO significantly reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels like oil and natural gas. There has also been an increase in extreme weather events around the world, as predicted by climate change models (for those interested in more detail on the scientific debate on climate change, go to www.realclimate.org).

Canada’s forests currently hold a lot of carbon – but that is slowly changing

Sure, every country including Canada has to improve its policies on forestry, protected areas, and agriculture. Associated text: Changing precipitation patterns. This rise is primarily a result of our over-use of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and gas. Important changes include: Other research focusing on the U.S. had very similar findings. There has also been an increase in extreme weather events around the world, as predicted by climate change models (for those interested in more detail on the scientific debate on climate change, go to.