This has been dubbed London, England’s worst winter in twenty years and as a Canadian living in London, I cannot help but chuckle. Based on Canadian standards, this winter has been mild at most. Major snowfalls typically melt before the next sunrise, average temperatures in February are in the positives and wind-chill is non-existent. My inner Canadian misses real winter. But, what if this is the type of winter I have to get used to?
The David Suzuki Foundation recently released a report titled; “On Thin Ice” where the precarious state of the Canadian winter is addressed. Thanks to global warming, which is climate change caused by human activities that release excessive greenhouse gases into the air such as deforestation; Canadian winters risk getting shorter, milder, and overall less ‘Canadian’. The epic Canadian winter of snow covered mountains, frozen ponds and freshly fallen snow (perfect for making snowmen), having snowball fights, and building igloos might not be around much longer. With global warming rearing its ugly climate changing head, these pictures may soon be replaced with lightly frosted mountains, wet ponds and snow that quickly turns into slush and melts before a snowman has lived a full life.
“By 2050, if we fail to take immediate action on climate change, a whole range of winter activities across Canada… will be jeopardized,” Ian Bruce, the report’s author, is quoted. Shorter, milder winters would significantly decrease each Canadian’s opportunity and ability to play a wide range of sports such as downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, and participating in biathlons. Without frozen ponds the classic Canadian tradition of outdoor hockey is erased and other pastimes, like ice fishing will also suffer. A future of warm Canadian winters could possibly close a chapter on a series of our country’s traditional pastimes.
If you are not a winter athlete or already a green living enthusiast you might enjoy the idea of a warmer winter, but the Canadian economy will not be as impressed. Winter tourism is a major source of income for Canada’s economy; the industry brings in an estimated $5 billion in revenue each year. Winter tourism creates employment, gives us a sense of national identity, and brings new visitors into the nation every year. In the future, for every day that the Canadian winter is shorter and milder these numbers significantly decrease.
The report extensively outlines what everyone from winter athletes to tourism operators to governments to winter tourism communities can do to help stop the effects of global warming. One of the recent areas of concern is the Vancouver Olympic Games. In 2007, the David Suzuki Foundation estimated that the Games would cause “110,000 tonnes of direct carbon emissions and another 220,000 tonnes of indirect emissions from air travel by spectators and other participants.” (Source)
The foundation put pressure on the Vancouver Organizing Committee to be environmentally savvy and they responded by promising to offset 300,000 tonnes of carbon emissions produced by the Games.
However, the report also talks about how you can make a difference in helping to stop our Canadian winters from melting away. Here are some of their suggestions:
- Take a picture that celebrates your winter sport and e-mail it to your Member of Parliament with a call for stronger action to reduce Canada’s global warming emissions
- Minimize your carbon footprint when enjoying winter sports by carpooling or taking the bus to get to your playing destination
(Source: On Thin Ice: Winter Sports and Climate Change)
You can download the full report and guide at: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Publications/On_Thin_Ice.asp.
Put on your winter clothes and get a move on to help our Canadian winters stay Canadian!
By Aleksandra Sagan
Blog Writer 2009-2010, Change Tomorrow’s World
