Climate change

Urban Heat Island Mitigation Strategies

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), eleven of the hottest twelve years ever observed were recorded since 1995 and are attributable to rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. North American cities “that currently experience heat waves are expected to be further challenged by an increased number, intensity and duration of heat waves”.

In Québec, the hottest ten years of the century have been recorded since the 1980s (Natural Resources Canada, 2004). Forecasts indicate that average temperatures will continue to rise in the coming decades.

This observed and forecast constant increase in temperature will accentuate a problem with which we are already familiar: the urban heat island effect. This phenomenon is characterized by higher summer temperatures in urban environments than in surrounding rural areas. According to observations, this temperature difference, which is primarily attributable to the urban built environment, range…

Climate change in southern Québec : drinking water supply and public health: climate projections for precipitation and runoff in southern Québec

One of the projected consequences of climate change (CC) is an increase in weather events or situations which until now have been rare, such as heavy precipitation or extended periods of drought. In this context, major infrastructure is likely to be affected by changes in the water regime, including the drinking water supply. Climatic variables that may affect volumes available for drinking water in a context of CC include rainfall and temperature. In the event of a significant change in rainfall resulting in a climate that is drier or more conducive to periods of drought, for example, drinking water production and distribution systems will be subject to unusual or exceptional constraints which they were not designed to handle. In addition, increased rainfall could affect the quality of raw water in the sites from which it is taken, raising the possibility of outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

These considerations show the importance of establishing and analyzing the current…

Climate change in Southern Québec : an analysis of the vulnerability of Québec drinking water facilities to toxic cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria that are naturally present in the earth’s fresh water and salt water ecosystems; they are not algae despite the fact that they are referred to as blue-green algae. For millions of years, these micro-organisms have been intimately associated with the development of life on the planet, since they helped enrich the earth’s atmosphere with oxygen. Through biosynthesis, they also produce several groups of substances including cyanotoxins. From an evolutionary viewpoint, cyanotoxins are believed to increase the competitive advantage of cyanobacteria, allowing them to dominate the aquatic environment in which they grow. The particular environmental problem created by cyanobacteria since the 1990s is the result of excessive proliferation in surface waters (ponds, lakes and streams), caused primarily by surpluses of nutrients such as nitrogen and especially phosphorus. In this context, drinking water facilities that are supplied with surface water co…

Nunavik Inuit Health Survey 2004 : Perception of Contaminants, Participation in Hunting and Fishing Activities, and Potential Impacts of Climate Change

The activities of hunting, fishing and collection of resources from the land and sea are of central importance to the health of Inuit in Nunavik. For approximately twenty years now, confidence in these resources and Inuit access to them have been threatened by reports of environmental contaminants in wildlife, social and economic trends influencing the time available to hunt and fish, and more recently, reports of climate change and variability and influences on the availability and accessibility of wildlife resources. This summary focuses on the information on these issues contained in the Nunavik Inuit Health Survey 2004.

Country foods, and the activities (hunting and fishing) to collect, distribute and prepare them for consumption, are still important aspects of everyday life in Nunavik communities today. They are important for their social and cultural value, formal and informal economic worth, and what they represent in terms of their contributions to physical, social a…