Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
Published Monday, March 31, 2014 4:17PM EDT
Last Updated Monday, March 31, 2014 7:09PM EDT
Top scientists say the latest international report on climate change shows that Canadians must wake up to the impact of warming temperatures on land, on water and in communities across the country.
They say the Intergovernmental Report on Climate Change, released Sunday in Japan, shows changes are on their way and further delays in responding to them only narrow the options.
“We no longer have the option of choosing between mitigation and adaptation,” Debra Davidson, a University of Alberta sociologist and lead author on the report, said Monday.
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This Oct. 5, 2011 satellite photo from a NASA website shows algae blooms swirling on Lake Erie. (AP Photo/NASA)
“We’re already locked into a global warming scenario in which adaptation will be absolutely necessary if we want a reasonable quality of life,” said Davidson, one of more than 2,000 scientists and expert reviewers from 70 countries who contributed.
The report says crop patterns will need to shift. Although some studies predict better growing conditions in more northern latitudes, disruptions to normal rain and snowfall patterns will cause problems, it suggests.
“There’s always been some predictions in some areas that some crops will do better,” said John Smol, a biologist at Queen’s University in Montreal. “But if the drought frequency continues, what’s the economic cost of a 10-year drought?”
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