According to a new report from Environment Canada, Canada, on average is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet and the far north of the country is warming three times as fast as the global average. The report states that since 1948 land temperature across Canada have increased by 1.7 degrees with the greatest change in the Prairies, the far north and northern British Columbia. Changes are already being seen in terms of longer, more destructive fire seasons, extreme weather events and flooding. These events are predicted to get worse as some areas are subjected to increasing drought conditions and longer more extreme heat waves while others experience extreme precipitation with the potential far destructive flooding including urban areas, such as Calgary or Winnipeg among other cities which have already experienced disastrous flooding events.. Insurers are already paying out over 1 billion a year due to damages linked to climate change: "Canadian insurers are now facing claims on natural catastrophes – floods, forest fires and other extreme weather events – of approximately $1-billion annually, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada. This amount has grown from $400-million annually in previous decades. Claims are expected to continue to increase, as is damage to personal property and public assets. This aggregate number does not include smaller events that are not considered catastrophic (an event with total claims less than $25-million), so the full impact of climate change on Canadian insurers and clients is likely understated. Similarly, there has been a related dramatic rise in government funding and liabilities owing to flood damage and other catastrophic events. In Canada, annual liabilities of the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) – managed by the federal and provincial governments – have risen steadily. These costs increased from around $100-million annually two decades ago to $500-million in 2009-10; they reached a current high of $2-billion in 2013-14. The Parliamentary Budget Office projected that annual DFAA liabilities would average $902-million over five years, of which $673-million would be for floods. Based on recent and repeated flooding, those estimates may prove to be conservative." https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-the-costs-of-climate-change-are-rising/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/...the-global-rate-leaked-report-finds-1.5079765 This report shows a dire threat to Canada's Arctic as warming conditions change the entire region threatening ecosystems and opening the area to further destructive human activity. Here is a link to the report for anyone interested in exploring just how dramatic the climate is changing in Canada's north and the consequences for the entire planet: https://changingclimate.ca/CCCR2019/
