climate change impacts on british columbia shalina bhagat angela lee daniel mundeva katina tam
TRANSCRIPT
Climate Change Impacts on British Columbia
Shalina BhagatAngela Lee
Daniel MundevaKatina Tam
Natural Habitat and Climate Change in BCWarmer temps and longer summers present significant challenges to BC salmon.
“Mackerel, a warm-water fish species, has been found in
recent years in the waters off Vancouver
Island. There is concern that
mackerel may eat young salmon,
further depleting stocks.”
-Natural Resources Canada
The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture in BC
• Western Canada – Fraser Valley, Okanagan – highly dependent on agriculture as means of employment– Over ¼ million people work in agri-food industry– Climate change impacts:
- Pests crop damage - Drought soil erosion, aquifers reduced - Irrigation required further soil damage
- Reduced soil moisture forest fires - Increased precipitation nutrient leaching reduced soil fertility
• Other spillover effects – Shankers Bend Dam
Tourism and Climate Change in BC• Tourism’s contribution to global
climate change is about 5% in terms of CO2 emissions
• Direct Physical Risks to Businesses:– Damage to physical assets– Increased insurance premiums– Decreased property values (i.e. weather
dependent businesses like ski resorts)– Forced relocation of operations
• Ex. 1: Whistler’s Carbon Footprint– 14% Internal– 86% Visitors to and from Whistler
• Ex. 2: Increased snow pack and warmer temperatures have impacted wildlife as well as the magnitude and frequency of avalanches. Warmer temperatures have disallowed some ski resorts to open during lucrative holiday season.
Forestry and Climate Change in BC• Timber harvests support a large
part of BC’s economic development and continue to provide the economic base for many communities
• Warmer, drier conditions have failed to curtail the invasion of the Mountain Pine Beetle
• The BC Ministry of Forests and Range projects that 80% of the merchantable pine in BC’s central and southern Interior could be killed by 2013
• By 2020 the Pine Beetle outbreak have released 270 megatonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere from Canadian forests