Insect infestations, forest fires, floods and drought reflect the devastating impact global warming is already having on the vast Canadian landscape, according to experts from all 10 provinces and two territories. Probably the most striking changes are occurring in the far North, where melting ice and permafrost are destroying roads and buildings as well as harming animal and plant life.
"We're seeing more landslides, mudslides than ever before," said Robert Collins, energy resources analyst for the Yukon Energy, Mines and Resources Department. Like other territories and provinces, Yukon has a booth at the UN Climate Change Conference that displays the impact of global warming on the local environment. One picture shows the side of a mountain stripped away by a landslide.
Forests are also feeling the effect of global warming. "In 2004, we burned twice the average (area of) forests through fires and 10 times what was burned the year earlier," Collins said. He said insect infestations are killing Yukon's forests because the deep cold that once regularly killed larvae no longer freezes the southern part of the territory. The dead trees are contributing to the frequency and breadth of forest fires, Collins said. "There are also changes in the water temperatures that affects the fish, and fish are vulnerable to diseases that you find in warmer water," he added. He said that for the first time, Yukon has seen funnel clouds that cause tornadoes.
Kik Shappa, a carver and hunter living in Griese Fiord, the northernmost settlement in the Canadian Arctic, said hunters face danger because of the melting ice cap. "The weather is really unpredictable and the ice freezes much later and breaks up earlier," he said, adding there are more incidents of hunters falling through the ice. He said animal migrations have altered because of changes in vegetation.
Manitoba is facing "multiple impacts and they extend pretty much through the entire province," said Rob Altemeyer, a member of Manitoba's legislative assembly.
EDIT
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/montreal/story.html?id=adf03a81-a3ee-4657-8ed1-dab96e4276af