Global Warming

January 2022

Global warming comes with challenges. Coastal communities will have to adapt to higher water levels. Weather patterns are changing with higher levels of precipitation and stronger winds. Our communities will have to adapt.

Yet, Canada is likely to benefit from global warming,

Canada is a colder climate with 90 percent of our population within 100 miles of the US border. Warming temperatures are expected to provide a more comfortable living environment for many. Population will grow in regions that warm up.

Tourism is likely to increase in a Toronto with milder winter weather. Canadians will have less need to visit Florida in the winter. More Americans, and others, may travel to Canada as our cooler seasons become more hospitable.

Opportunities for oil, gas and mineral development in the Arctic will increase.

Perhaps the greatest impact will be in farming. As some countries suffer from global warming the opposite appears likely for Canada. Arable land could increase by up to 40 percent by 2040. Current arable land will have extended growing seasons on more fertile land with abundant water. Canada may be better able to feed the world as its climate warms.

Certainly, global warming comes with challenges. Our cities will have to adapt to hotter and longer summers. Communities will spend more money cooling their spaces and less on heating them. Trash sitting exposed in warmer weather is more likely to smell bad and attract pests. These are some of the challenges our communities need to prepare for.