The world’s top climate scientists agree that human activities are forcing climate change at an extraordinary rate — with disastrous consequences if we fail to change course.
In July 2009, Prime Minister Stephen Harper signed on to a G8 summit declaration recognizing the broad scientific view that the increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels ought not to exceed 2°C.
The question is no longer whether the climate is changing, but how long we have to act before those changes become irreversible. The following resources summarize the most up-to-date and authoritative climate research.
Fact Sheet: Climate Science and Impacts
Scientsts now describe the warming of the climate system as “unequivocal” and evident in rises in air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising sea levels. Already, average global surface temperature has risen more than 0.7˚C above pre-industrial levels, and this has been shown to be due mainly to the buildup in the atmosphere of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from human activities.
Even if all emissions ceased today, this amount of warming would roughly double as a result of the delayed effect of emissions already in the atmosphere. Download our "Climate Change Science and Impacts" fact sheet for an overview of the latest research on how climate change is affecting our world, and how an average increase of 2˚C would affect Canada.
Download: English Fact Sheet | Version française
National Science Academies Underscore Urgent Need to Reduce GHG Emissions
"We call on all governments to agree at the UNFCCC negotiations in Copenhagen to adopt a long-term global goal and near-term emission reduction targets that will deliver an approximately 50% reduction in global emissions from 1990 levels by 2050."
In a joint statement released in May 2009, the National Science Academies from all G8 countries and five major emerging economies emphasized the urgent need for political leadership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the world's most authoritative climate science body. It's the United Nations agency responsible for advising the world's governments on the science and implications of climate change. The latest IPCC summaries for policy makers are:
- Working Group I: Basic physical science
- Working Group II: Impacts and adaptation
- Working Group III: Emission reduction technologies and economics
- Synthesis Report
Copenhagen Scientific Congress
"Recent observations show that greenhouse gas emissions and many aspects of the climate are changing near the upper boundary of the IPCC range of projections."
This report contains a recent update on developments in climate science. It was prepared as a product of the Copenhagen climate congress in March 2009, to supplement the most recent IPCC report (which reflects climate science only up to 2006).
UNEP Climate Change Science Compendium 2009
This review of the latest climate science by the United Nations Environment Program was released during Climate Week in New York, September 2009. The report features a detailed analysis of the climate science relating to ice, oceans and ecosystems management.
"We need a new global agreement to tackle climate change, and this must be based on the soundest, most robust and up-to-date science available....This report shows that climate change is accelerating at a much faster pace than was previously thought by scientists....This Climate Change Science Compendium is a wake-up call."
Arctic Council Climate Update
"Sea ice extent has decreased sharply, with a record low in 2007 and ice-free conditions in both the Northeast and Northwest sea passages for the first time in recorded history in 2008."
This report, released in April 2009, provides an update by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme on climate change in the arctic. AMAP's mandate is to conduct scientific assessments of changes to Arctic ecosystems and the causes for such changes, and advise governments on possible solutions. AMAP is a working group of the Arctic Council, of which the Government of Canada is a member.
NRCan assessment of Canadian climate impacts
"Climate change will exacerbate many current climate risks, and present new risks and opportunities, with significant implications for communities, infrastructure and ecosystems....Resource-dependent and Aboriginal communities are particularly vulnerable to climate changes. This vulnerability is magnified in the Arctic."
This in-depth study of how climate change is expected to affect various regions of Canada was compiled by Natural Resources Canada in 2007. The report also includes a regional breakdown of challenges or opportunities for adaptation.
Health Canada — Human Health in a Changing Climate
"Climate change is expected to increase risks to the health of Canadians through many pathways: the food they eat, the air they breathe, the water they drink, and their exposure to extreme weather events and infectious diseases found in nature."
The first report of its kind from Health Canada, Human Health in a Changing Climate documents the direct and indirect health concerns related to climate change. The report provides regional assessments for Québec and Canada's North, and provides important information about gaps in Canada's capacity to adapt to climate change.
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