Transcript Climate Change Impacts on British Columbia

Climate Change Impacts on
British Columbia
Shalina Bhagat
Angela Lee
Daniel Mundeva
Katina Tam
Natural Habitat and Climate Change in BC
Warmer temps and
longer summers
present significant
challenges to BC
salmon.
“Mackerel, a warmwater 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
Agricultural
Practices
Climate
Change
• 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