Will Canada be affected by global warming to a greater or lesser extent than most countries? Will the impacts,

Question

Will Canada be affected by global warming to a greater or lesser extent than most countries? Will the impacts, be positive or negative for Canada?

Answer 1

Wow, some of the answers on here are off the wall.

The temperature rises due to global warming are predicted to be greatest in "high latitudes", that is, places near the poles and far from the Equator (like Canada). Indeed, we have already seen these predictions confirmed over the short term: the average temperature on Earth has risen by 0.9C in the last century, but it has risen by as much as 5-6C in the more northern parts of Canada.

Now to turn to your question about positive vs. negative effects. This cannot be answered properly, because it depends on which impacts you are studying, and on whom. For example, something as simple as a temperature rise can seem positive, since it might mean lower heating bills. But it can be negative if you don't want the droughts and spread of insect-borne diseases that come with it. Some say that higher temperatures will free more land in Canada for agriculture, but in fact very little of the newly-freed land will have soil that can support agriculture, and some of the crops we already do have may not do as well in warmer conditions. I hope you can see how complicated this all gets. On any given issue, some people will benefit and some will be harmed. If we add sea level rises and extreme weather conditions to the mix, .... well, you get the point.

The take home message: To some degree, the Earth's climate will change whether we like it or not, and we shouldn't (and couldn't) try to stop this. We will have to adapt, as humans always have. But we can certainly do something about the human-caused component of global warming, because the enormous, sudden change in conditions that it is already bringing about could be disastrous for millions of people. Humans can adapt over hundreds or even thousands of years, but it is very difficult to adapt over a couple of decades without taking some big hits to our health and prosperity.

Answer 2

Which "worldwide warming" are you speakme of, the only Gore is speakme approximately or the normal cycle of warming and cooling? From WWII to the mid 70's we had very prime carbon emmissions but we had a cooling interval for the duration of that point span. Over a a thousand years in the past we had 250 years of warming, the Vikings had been developing plants on Greenland. The planet has cycles. Should we scale down our emmissions? Yes. Are we inflicting "worldwide warming"? All of the knowledge isn't in.

Answer 3

I think each zone has it's own problems, it's just a matter of adjusting. For sure you'll save up on heating bills, but then your population (specially the elderly) might be prone to heat wave/stroke during summer since they're not used to it.

To the guy who likes the tropical weather, wait 'til you or your friends get sick from malaria or dengue fever from tropical mosquitoes =P

Answer 4

Actually, Canada could make out quite well. They would have our weather and we would have the weather of the tropics.
And the tropics? Fagettaboutit!
Coastal shmoastal. There would just be new coasts.

Answer 5

it will have negative effects on canada because of the global warming, glaciers melt this could affect the people living in coastal areas.