So, I really wanted to post something positive, and I will, I promise! But, with the new report in on Canada's environmental future, which includes drought and a SHORTAGE OF WATER, well, I wasn't feeling so happy; especially since we are still giving away our natural resources freely in our dreaded NAFTA agreement and our involvement in SPP, the Security and Prosperity Partenership with the US and Mexico. Yup, my worst nightmares are coming true, and the scary thing is that this environmental nightmare is happening NOW, yes, in the present; we are not talking about the future, because that is even bleaker if we don't start making CHANGES. Please, this is my plea to my fellow Canadians, to my friends, to my family, PLEASE MAKE CHANGES. Let us put our environment first, let's get sustainable, let's demand that our government does the same, we have to do this, we have to change, we have to drive less, we have to conserve water, we have to get solar and wind power, we have to buy less, we have to buy local organic products, we have to make sacrifices. Money and the eight hour job does not promise us happiness; health and love for our fellow humans and wildlife does. We may think everything is fine because our health is good, and our job is making us money, but with a drinking shortage, toxic air conditions, an agricultural break down (yup, our food), severe storms and oil shortages hitting Canada these days, we won't be happy for long unless we make serious changes. I am up for it, what about you?!
Here is some info on the report from cbc:
Canada can expect to see more devastating storms and extreme weather because of climate change, a yet-to-be released federal report concludes.
The report, prepared by more than 100 Canadian scientists on behalf of Canada's Department of Natural Resources, will be made public soon, but CBC News has learned some of the details it contains from several people involved in compiling the report.
Ice storms, like the 1998 storm that hit Eastern Canada, will be more frequent in Canada's future.
(Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)
The report focuses on the impact climate change will have on the country, in terms of the weather it will generate, and the effects on areas like infrastructure, energy production and drinking water.
The report, the first of its kind done for the federal government in 10 years, says Canada can expect more ice storms, torrential downpours, floods, droughts and landslides, as well more days of extreme heat and smog.
The report says the increase of extreme weather has already begun, and will only get worse.
"The models predict as we go into the future that those events will be more frequent than they have been in the recent past," said Gordon McBean, a geography professor at the University of Western Ontario in London.
McBean was one of the scientists involved in the report.
He said the extreme weather will mean more insurance claims from damaged homes and property, while the country's roads and bridges will take a beating. Coastlines in some communities will erode more rapidly than usual.
Canada will have to adapt, McBean said.
"What's really important is that as we invest in rebuilding that infrastructure, we build it for the climate of the future, not the climate of the past."
In Iqaluit, Nunavut, subdivisions are already being built to withstand more rain in areas that were once considered Arctic desert, but are now seeing warmer weather.
Drinking water shortage
While some communities will be coping with more rain, others may endure droughts lasting a decade or more. Western Canada, in particular, could face short winters and long, dry summers.
Water levels in rivers in Alberta and British Columbia are already dropping significantly, as are the levels of the Great Lakes.
The result could be a shortage of drinking water, the report says.
It also warns that industries that rely on water — oil, gas, hydroelectricity, agriculture, even salmon fishing — will also suffer, while there could be an increase in forest fires.
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