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Why Canada loves climate change

5 points by amichail 5y ago

MarkusWandel 5y ago
Not really. I live in Ottawa, which is fairly typical as far as Canadian climate goes. A warm year may start pleasantly enough, with serious bike rides possible in mid March and bike paths thawed out by early April. But then you spend July and August mostly inside with the AC on, because it's too hot for heavy exercise outside (except if you start your serious bike ride at 4am and get home by 8am or so) and breathe the very faint smoky haze from forest fires 1000km away to the northwest. A cool summer (if it's not also rainy) is on the whole more enjoyable. That being said, freakishly warm days in April where the beaches are packed full of sunbathers while there is still ice on the water offshore, or in November 2020 where it was possible to go cycling in shorts and t-shirt for the whole second week of that month, are lovely.
- sasawpg 5y ago
  Made me chuckle because that was mostly how last year went for me (Winnipeg). Only difference is that I still somehow plodded on in the obscene heat. One of the worst rides I had was started around 9 and I was completely cooked by the time I got back around 1-1:30. The season last year was unusually long - my first big outdoor ride was gravel century in mid-March (metric of course) and my last ride was a race Nov 7th that I did in short sleeves. We had enough snow for fat biking a week later. I can assure you, there has not been much walking around in short sleeves for the last month. We have barely seen temps warmer than -20C since Christmas. Reprieve arrives tomorrow with a balmy -2C (though hardly unusual).
Comevius 5y ago
This article is pure idiocracy. We might as well start watering the plants with Gatorade. The shorter winters and new shipping lanes are great, but climate change affects precipitation and temperature adversely. It increases soil erosion, causes more extreme weather, loss of biodiversity. Climate change is a serious treat to the entire ecosystem, however climate is not the only factor in agriculture. Soil quality is very important. Climate change also happens to be a poison to the oceans and atmosphere. Canada will be able to adapt for longer than countries that are less responsible for this crisis, an injustice if there ever was one, but this hubris is not sustainable. I guess there is outdoors yoga to be enjoyed for now, let's hope it worth it.
- sasawpg 5y ago
  Except if climate change involves burning down half the country because of a record hot and dry summer. We may not adapt half as well in that case.
mnkv 5y ago
I was going to point out how old all of the info in the article was (why talk about Kyoto when the Paris accords and COP are more recent and more relevant) but then realized the article is from 2017. Ignoring the nonsense idea that climate change would be good for Canada, many criticisms are not true anymore. Keystone XL is cancelled. Justin Trudeau (and the Liberal party) ran their last campaign on a plan to meet the Paris accord targets. Government subsidies are more and more being moved from oil and gas to sustainable energy. There's a whole lot more to be done and lots of fair criticism but I doubt even Jesse Brown would be as strongly critical today.

5 points by amichail 5y ago

Not really. I live in Ottawa, which is fairly typical as far as Canadian climate goes. A warm year may start pleasantly enough, with serious bike rides possible in mid March and bike paths thawed out by early April. But then you spend July and August mostly inside with the AC on, because it's too hot for heavy exercise outside (except if you start your serious bike ride at 4am and get home by 8am or so) and breathe the very faint smoky haze from forest fires 1000km away to the northwest. A cool summer (if it's not also rainy) is on the whole more enjoyable. That being said, freakishly warm days in April where the beaches are packed full of sunbathers while there is still ice on the water offshore, or in November 2020 where it was possible to go cycling in shorts and t-shirt for the whole second week of that month, are lovely.

sasawpg 5y ago
Made me chuckle because that was mostly how last year went for me (Winnipeg). Only difference is that I still somehow plodded on in the obscene heat. One of the worst rides I had was started around 9 and I was completely cooked by the time I got back around 1-1:30. The season last year was unusually long - my first big outdoor ride was gravel century in mid-March (metric of course) and my last ride was a race Nov 7th that I did in short sleeves. We had enough snow for fat biking a week later. I can assure you, there has not been much walking around in short sleeves for the last month. We have barely seen temps warmer than -20C since Christmas. Reprieve arrives tomorrow with a balmy -2C (though hardly unusual).

Comevius 5y ago

This article is pure idiocracy. We might as well start watering the plants with Gatorade. The shorter winters and new shipping lanes are great, but climate change affects precipitation and temperature adversely. It increases soil erosion, causes more extreme weather, loss of biodiversity. Climate change is a serious treat to the entire ecosystem, however climate is not the only factor in agriculture. Soil quality is very important. Climate change also happens to be a poison to the oceans and atmosphere. Canada will be able to adapt for longer than countries that are less responsible for this crisis, an injustice if there ever was one, but this hubris is not sustainable. I guess there is outdoors yoga to be enjoyed for now, let's hope it worth it.

sasawpg 5y ago
Except if climate change involves burning down half the country because of a record hot and dry summer. We may not adapt half as well in that case.

mnkv 5y ago

I was going to point out how old all of the info in the article was (why talk about Kyoto when the Paris accords and COP are more recent and more relevant) but then realized the article is from 2017. Ignoring the nonsense idea that climate change would be good for Canada, many criticisms are not true anymore. Keystone XL is cancelled. Justin Trudeau (and the Liberal party) ran their last campaign on a plan to meet the Paris accord targets. Government subsidies are more and more being moved from oil and gas to sustainable energy. There's a whole lot more to be done and lots of fair criticism but I doubt even Jesse Brown would be as strongly critical today.