Climate Change
As global temperatures continue to rise and extremes in our weather become increasingly unpredictable, communities are beginning to recognize the risks associated with a changing climate and have begun to ask more questions. We all need to know what we can do to minimize and adapt to a changing climate.
What causes climate change?
Climate change is a result of a build up of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere, which have been markedly increasing since the dawn of the industrial revolution. Increased amounts of these GHGs trap reflected solar radiation leading to general increase in overall global temperatures. While GHGs occur naturally, the increases which are the cause of Climate Change are primarily from human activities including industry and transportation. The impacts of these increases in GHGs are aggravated indirectly by a global decline in forest and other natural areas cover.
What are some of the impacts associated with Climate Change?
On a watershed scale, some of the expected effects of climate change include:
- Overall increase in risk of extreme and erratic weather;
- Increase in risk of significant rainfall events leading to flooding and increased streambank erosion;
- Increase in risk of drought;
- Reduced surface water quality due to increased erosion and runoff associated with extreme weather events
- Changes in plant, fish and wildlife community composition and distribution
- Changes in Great Lakes water levels with implications for swimming, boating, fishing and nearshore land uses.
What is ERCA doing?
ERCA understands that climate change could worsen the stresses already present in our watersheds, and has developed programming that both minimizes climate change, and adapts to it. Examples include:
- Conservation education that educates youth and adults alike about their impact on the environment and the positive cumulative effects of a large number of people making small improvements in our environment.
- Protecting the natural areas (forests and wetlands) that remain in our region - these features act as carbon sinks and 'soak up' GHG produced through human activities.
- Planting trees and undertaking habitat restoration projects in an effort to improve air quality and increase carbon sequestration, in addition to providing fish and wildlife habitat and water quality benefits.
- Continue working with private landowners on stewardship projects like riparian planting, erosion protection and other projects that stabilize watercourse banks and make them less vulnerable to erosion from extreme weather events.
- Continue to work with the agricultural community to further conservation tillage and cropping techniques, plant field and farmstead windbreaks, establish grassed waterways and water and sediment control basins, retire erosion-prone land from farming and protect and enhance watercourse buffers
- Continue to implement strong risk management policies, effective floodplain management and forward-looking subwatershed planning
- Continue to collect and provide precipitation and streamflow data which can be provided to government agencies
- Continue to ensure all homes and structures built in and around flood and erosion prone plans are made safe through our Regulations program.
The Conservation Authority, Municipalities and other government agencies cannot address climate change on their own. Individual home and landowners are urged to consider how their daily decisions affect GHG emissions, and make small changes to reduce these emissions. Landowners are also encouraged to observe responsible land stewardship, including increasing the number of trees or other natural areas coverage on their property. ERCA can offer technical and financial assistance to qualifying landowners for projects that increase tree cover or reduce soil erosion - contact us to discuss the options available for your property!
