More Rainy Days In Sight?

http://www.canada.com/technology/Canada+should+more+prepare+rainy+days+Study/1977318/story.html

In the Canada.com article “Canada should do more to prepare for rainy days: Study” (09 September 2009) the author, Darah Hansen, is reiterating a study done by Simon Fraser University. The main claim of this study is that Canadian should be ready for more rain and extreme weather in the coming years.

This issue with the claim is that there is very little evidence to support it. The only evidence in the article is given in a single statement, in particular:

“In the past year, Canada has seen its share of extreme weather: from heat waves and resultant forest fires in B.C., to tornadoes and hurricanes in southern Ontario and on the east coast, respectively; and heavy rainfall and cooler-than-normal temperature throughout much of the country.” (Hansen 2009)

The argument of the article seems to be that the future of Canada holds more severe weather and that all levels of Canadian government should take action and prepare the country for these events. The article also argues that not enough is being done and the country is unfortunately doing a poor job in dealing with the issue of climate change.

The evidence presented does not thoroughly support the claim being made. Although it may be true that these events have occurred, they are not isolated events. For instance, this past year did not have the first tornado touchdown in Canada. Environment Canada (2009) states that one of the most tornadic areas of Canada is southern Ontario. In the 1970s, a total of 12 hurricanes hit land in eastern Canada. There is a possibility of yearly fluctuation of weather patterns; therefore, the occurrences from one year will not necessarily establish themselves in following years. Furthermore, there is no actual evidence implying any increase of precipitation, instead the article touches on what the Canadian government ‘should’ do about the impending crisis.

Another factor that works against this article are the multiple sources of opposing ideas that go unaddressed in the article. Natural Resources Canada (2004) has published a map of Canada that demonstrates the percentage of change in precipitation from the period of 1961 to 1990 to the period of 2040 to 2060. This map shows that on average, precipitation rates will remain the same or decrease. As well Experience Canada: A Geography (2003) published:

“Overall, precipitation is down across the country, especially in winter. Lower snowfalls are causing water levels to drop in many of Canada’s freshwater lakes. In 2002, for example, the Great Lakes were more than one metre below normal levels.” (DesRivieres, Bain & Harshman 2003)

This article makes it very clear that the authors of the report wish to see the government’s involvement in the issue increase and this can be seen through the multiple quotes in the article. There are several sufficient ideas and recommendations listed throughout the article. For instance:

“The report argues it’s time policy-makers expand climate change action beyond efforts to decrease greenhouse gases, and look to reduce our collective vulnerability to weather changes.... Researches also suggest the country develop an integrated national public alerting system and a climate information service to better ensure emergency crews and individuals receive timely warnings of extreme weather hazards.” (Hansen 2009)

In conclusion, the headline of the article states that Canada should be prepared for an increase of precipitation, but there is no strong argument or evidence to convince the reader of need for this action. However, the article offers many valid suggestions and initiatives that can be put into place to prepare for the future. I think that these are very good suggestions and should be considered by those to which they are addressed to.


References

(2004, January 20). The Atlas of Canada. Retrieved from http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/climatechange/scenarios/nationalsummerprecip2050?scale=42051275.911682&mapsize=750%20666&urlappend=

DesRivieres, D, Bain, C. M., & Harshman, R. (2003). Experience Canada: A geography. Canada: Oxford University Press.

Hansen, D. (2009, September 09). Canada should do more to prepare for rainy days: Study. canada.com, Retrieved from http://www.canada.com/technology/Canada+should+more+prepare+rainy+days+Study/1977318/story.html