How current climate change trends are affecting severe weather in Saskatchewan | Globalnews.ca

As a substantial amount of evidence suggests, there is no scientific argument that Climate change Saskatchewan is responsible for severe weather patterns for Canada and the rest of the world. It is one of the greatest emergencies of our times and is wreaking havoc on the world.

John Pomeroy, with the University of Saskatchewan, Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change, explained, “There are massive areas under heat warnings with exceptional heat in the United States that put people at risk and more recently Europe. More than 1,000 people have died in this.” ,

“So, when you look at all that and think Saskatchewan There is light with some storms, but our storms are very severe because of the extra energy in the atmosphere.”

Pomeroy further explains how the province is being affected.

“Saskatchewan has unfortunately seen all the manifestations of climate change and we fluctuate from drought to flood to hurricane from year to year or year after year, and it is happening more and more frequently,” he said.

“At the same time the storms we have are having longer, wet periods last longer and dry periods last longer.”

Pomeroy said the number of long storms in Saskatchewan has increased by 50 percent since the 1960s.

More recently, insured losses in Canada have been between $2 and 5 billion each year. In the 1980s, that amount was about a quarter billion dollars per year, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

Climate change is destroying natural systems such as life, homes, communities and forests at an alarming rate, with both insured and uninsured losses increasing.

Here in Saskatchewan, the province is making progress in measuring its climate response accordingly.

“The 2022 Resilience Report is actually part of Saskatchewan’s Prairie Resilience Strategy, which makes 40 commitments to address climate change and is one of those commitments that monitor and report on the province’s resilience to climate change, Aaron Wirth, executive director of the Saskatchewan Climate Resilience Branch. ,

Wirth further explains that the province has set goals to protect five key areas, such as natural systems, physical infrastructure, the economy, community preparedness, and human well-being. The province has been able to meet most of its targets in these various areas.

The United Nations (UN) has indicated that global greenhouse gas emissions will need to peak before 2025, and be reduced by 43 percent by 2030 to avert an irreversible climate catastrophe. At the same time, methane would also need to be reduced by about a third.

According to the United Nations, from 2010-2019, average annual global greenhouse gas emissions were at their highest level in human history, although the rate of growth has slowed.

A growing array of policies and laws have improved energy efficiency, reduced rates of deforestation and accelerated the deployment of renewable energy,

Pomeroy underlined that it’s basically do or die for the planet right now as it comes down to trying to reverse climate change, which he says calls for collective action from different provinces and countries alike more than ever before. is more important.