Climate Change Impacts on British Columbia Shalina Bhagat Angela Lee Daniel Mundeva Katina Tam

Natural Habitat and Climate Change in BC Warmer temps and longer summers present significant challenges to BC salmon. “Mackerel, a warm- water fish species, has been found in recent years in the waters off Vancouver Island. There is concern that mackerel may eat young salmon, further depleting stocks.” -Natural Resources Canada

The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture in BC Western Canada – Fraser Valley, Okanagan – highly dependent on agriculture as means of employment – Over ¼ million people work in agri-food industry – Climate change impacts: - Pests  crop damage - Drought  soil erosion, aquifers reduced - Irrigation required  further soil damage - Reduced soil moisture  forest fires - Increased precipitation  nutrient leaching  reduced soil fertility Other spillover effects – Shankers Bend Dam Agricultural Practices Climate Change

Tourism and Climate Change in BC Tourism’s contribution to global climate change is about 5% in terms of CO 2 emissions Direct Physical Risks to Businesses: – Damage to physical assets – Increased insurance premiums – Decreased property values (i.e. weather dependent businesses like ski resorts) – Forced relocation of operations Ex. 1: Whistler’s Carbon Footprint – 14% Internal – 86% Visitors to and from Whistler Ex. 2: Increased snow pack and warmer temperatures have impacted wildlife as well as the magnitude and frequency of avalanches. Warmer temperatures have disallowed some ski resorts to open during lucrative holiday season.

Forestry and Climate Change in BC Timber harvests support a large part of BC’s economic development and continue to provide the economic base for many communities Warmer, drier conditions have failed to curtail the invasion of the Mountain Pine Beetle The BC Ministry of Forests and Range projects that 80% of the merchantable pine in BC’s central and southern Interior could be killed by 2013 By 2020 the Pine Beetle outbreak have released 270 megatonnes of CO 2 into the atmosphere from Canadian forests