As a high latitude country, Canada has already experienced
greater temperature increases than low-latitude countries. By 2100, Ontario’s
average temperature could increase by 3 to 6oC in the winter and 4
to 8oC in the summer.
Listed below are some of the predicted impacts of climate
change on Ontario:
- Due to the warmer temperature, there will be more rainfall, but some areas will become drier and others will become wetter
- Ecoregions will move northward as carbon dioxide concentrations and temperatures increase.
- Less ice cover on lakes in the winter and more forest fires
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Satellite image of The Great Lakes shows little to no coverage of ice in March 2012 |
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Deer's ticks can cause fever and skin rash to humans |
- Ontario’s boreal forest will likely shrink, and
plant and animal species will migrate northward
- Insect pests could migrate northward, attacking
the southern fringes of our forests. As our forests become less healthy, they
may become a carbon source rather than a carbon sink
- As summer gets hotter, we will use more
electricity for air conditioning
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Usage of electricity increases in the summer, as the temperature increases |
There are also some predicted impacts that may positively
affect Ontario, such as:
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Longer growing season makes farmer able to plant more crops |
- In the winter, energy use may decrease due to
warmer weather
- Spring would come earlier as the climate warms,
and the growing season for crops and other plants would lengthen
- Land in the Arctic could become useful for
agriculture as the permafrost melts.
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