How are Clean Air and Climate Change Linked?

We use fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, coal and gasoline to heat our homes and buildings, to power our factories, to generate electricity, and to fuel our vehicles. Burning fossil fuels produce emissions and airborne particles that are bad for your health and the environment. Known as greenhouse gases, the buildup of these pollutants in the atmosphere is one of the driving forces of climate change.

Air Pollution

Air pollution is a worldwide problem that takes a heavy toll on the state of our environment, health and quality of life. Air pollution does not only affect our cities and urban centres. It also can occur indoors at home, school, and our work. Air pollution can makes us sick and contributes to chronic respiratory illnesses such as asthma. Some air pollutants return to earth as acid rain and snow that can damage ecosystems such as lakes and forests, making them unlivable habitats for many plant and animal species. Acid rain can also have direct economic effects by damaging crops and corroding buildings and historic monuments. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) are another form of air pollution that can erode the Earth's protective ozone layer, which shields us from the Sun's more damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Some Facts about Greenhouse Gases and
Climate Change

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that human activity is interfering with the planet's climate system, causing the Earth to become warmer. This international community of scientists has determined that increased concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere are the leading cause of global warming which is enhancing the planet's natural 'greenhouse effect'. These increased levels of GHG are a result of intense industrial activity. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have increased approximately 31 percent since 1895. Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide have also increased by 151 and 17 percent respectively during this same time period. In Canada, GHG emissions in 2000 were 15 percent higher than they were in 1990. Canada accounts for 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but we are the world's third largest per capita producer of GHG after the United States and Australia.

The Earth is Getting Warmer

The planet has been getting warmer over the past 100 years. In fact, the 1980's and 1990's were the warmest decades on record, and the 20th century was the warmest in the past 1000 years. All estimates indicate that the warming will continue. According to the IPCC, average global temperatures are expected to rise by 1.4° to 5.8° Celsius over the next century. In Canada, average temperatures in some regions could rise by as much as 5° to 7° Celsius, especially in the north. To put that into perspective, today's average temperatures are only about 5° warmer than they were during the last Ice Age. However, this small change in average temperature was enough to melt the vast ice sheets that once covered much of North America.