“The polar ice caps are shrinking and the desert areas are increasing. At night, the Earth is no longer dark, but large areas are lit up. All of this is evidence that human exploitation of the planet is reaching a critical limit. But human demands and expectations are ever-increasing. We cannot continue to pollute the atmosphere, poison the ocean and exhaust the land. There isn’t any more available.” said Stephen Hawking.
Indeed, climate change has led to severe problems which threaten Canadians’ health, living environment, and food resources.
Recent heat-related deaths in British Columbia were a merciless consequence of climate change. Seven hundred nineteen people died due to heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and other heat-related diseases. The reason for the recent unexpected heatwave is increasing global temperature, also known as climate change. This unfortunate incident shows that climate change contributes to the tragic death numbers related to heat waves in British Columbia.
Air quality is often an important index that represents people’s living quality. Clearly, climate change also causes worse air quality in Canada. Environment and climate change Canada recently published a heat warning, particularly in Northern Ontario, on July 11. According to its data, the estimated temperature is between the highest 31 degrees Celsius and the lowest 17 degrees Celsius with a mid 30 humidex. Such humid and hot weather will significantly reduce air quality in Ontario.
The Government of Canada explains why hot and humid weather in Canada stands for bad air quality on its website, “Hot air rises – this is how hot air balloons work. We normally have warm air at ground level, and cooler air above. In a temperature inversion, the temperatures are upside down- the cooler air is at ground level, and the warmer air higher up. The cooler air cannot rise, and the warmer air above acts like a lid, trapping pollutants at the ground where we live and breathe.” Our quality of life is declining due to climate change.
As we all know, food supply is already scarce in the world. But did you know that climate change is making our food even more scarce? For example, gardeners in northwestern Ontario experience the loss of blossoms of fruit trees. Olivia Levesque stated on July 9, “In the last week alone, the region experiences a heatwave, then temperatures dropped as low as 3 or 4 degrees in some areas overnight, posing a risk for frost, all in a matter of days.”
Climate change contributes to the fluctuating weather pattern in Ontario, which led to unfavorable conditions for crops or plants to grow. If the situation continues in the following years or even decades, climate change will create a more harsh scarcity of food in human society.
Some people believe that climate change is far from Canada. Alas, climate change is now silently approaching and influencing the life of Canadians. Based on this fact, I push for Canadians to be ready to face the series of consequences that climate change brings. Individuals, including local residents and government officials, must collaborate and control the crisis through the use of proper regulations and more to suppress the expansion of climate change.
Canadians’ health, living environment and food resources are currently in a negative situation. From my own perspective, I am afraid our new generation will suffer from a poor and desolate environment in the future if nature continues to deteriorate.
Nevertheless, Ontario’s government is constantly developing its policy against climate change, as a website states, “In Ontario, the federal fuel charge and OBP system have applied since early 2019. However, Ontario will soon replace the federal OBP system with its own pricing system for large industrial emitters, following federal approval received in the fall of 2020.” Clearly, Ontario’s government deserves credit for regulating this natural crisis.
I am convinced that the climate crisis will be gradually resolved, presuming that everyone in the country is well aware of the issue and appealing to companies or governments to focus on climate change. We must educate others and prepare to make a change.
References
- Hawking, Stephen. “The 11th Hour.” IMDb. IMDb.com. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492931/characters/nm0370071.
- Flanagan, Ryan. “Extreme Heat That Roasted B.C. Could Become Once-a-Decade Event: Analysis.” CTVNews. CTV News, July 7, 2021. https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/extreme-heat-that-roasted-b-c-could-become-once-a-decade-event-analysis-1.5500235.
- Canada, Environment. “Canadian Weather.” Environment Canada, July 11, 2021. https://weather.gc.ca/canada_e.html.
- Canada, Environment and Climate Change. “Government of Canada.” Canada.ca. / Gouvernement du Canada, July 19, 2019. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/air-quality-health-index/weather.html.
- “Fluctuating and ‘Extreme’ Temperatures Makes for Difficult Growing Season in Northwestern Ontario | CBC News.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, July 9, 2021. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/gardening-temperature-extremes-northwestern-ontario-1.6096230.
- “Canadian Climate Change Policy Developments.” Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. Accessed July 30, 2021. https://www.osler.com/en/resources/regulations/focus/canadian-climate-change-policy-developments.
