For Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change - I decided that I would join the movement and discuss something near and dear to my heart. Sport and the environment!!
I came across a great paper that was published by the David Suzuki Foundation called "On Thin Ice: Winter Sports and Climate Change" - it was quite insightful! It made me start thinking, as winter is rapidly approaching Ottawa, I should be getting my snow gear ready so I can hit the slopes and enjoy the ski/board season! Although, I never once stopped to think, that because of global warming, that one day, I may not be able to grab my ski's and take a 20 minute drive to Gatineau and enjoy a day or evening of outdoor winter fun! (If it weren't for winter sports, I don't know how I could peel myself off the couch!)
I read a quote from Justin Lamoureux, Member of the Canadian Snowboard Team: “The most painful thing for me is watching local glaciers in Western Canada shrink. I’ve spent a lot of time in the backcountry and also on the Whistler glaciers and it’s distressing to see them retreat every summer.” And this is just shocking to me. That each year glaciers are retreating, and that one day they could be gone. Does that mean one day, Canada could be a country where people come to enjoy the heat?! (I laugh now, but that would just be wrong!!) Looking at it now, Canada's ski sector is contributing about $839 million every year to our economy. Which is much larger than I could have imagined, which means, if each year the temperatures are rising, shortening the ski season = less money into our fragile economy. (I'm not here to talk about the economy, so I'll stop now, but still an interesting fact!!)
One of the most frightening things I read in the paper was about Ottawa's beloved UNESCO World Heritage Site the Rideau Canal. According to the predicted climate change impacts on winter sports across Canada under high-emissions future: "Near the end of this century, the high-emission scenario would eliminate 87 per cent of the skating season on the Rideau Canal, reducing it to just one week." ONE WEEK!! WHAT?! As an Ottawa native, and user of the Rideau Canal skate-way during the winter, this is something that I really can't and don't want to imagine. Every year the NCC (National Capital Commission) and the City of Ottawa have had to deal with unfavorable weather, and have to delay the opening of the skate-way or close it early due to the warming weather. So I can't imagine only having a one week window to use the skate way. It's just outrageous! To think that one day, maybe even in my lifetime, that we may not be able to skate on the Rideau Canal... it's truly sad.
In the end, I invite everyone out there to think about how climate change can/does/will affect your future.
If you are looking for more information about climate change please check out the following links!
http://www.ec.gc.ca/cc/
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/Kyoto/Canadian_Emissions.asp
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Publications/default.asp#climate
So this is my contribution the BLOG ACTION DAY 2009: Climate Change. Although sometimes it feels like one person can't make a difference, but when many people get together to promote change, something might just happen!
I love you Canadian winter, although I sometimes curse you when I'm walking through 6 feet of snow, and can't get out of the driveway or when I'm so cold I wish we lived in the Caribbean... It's just a bluff... I wouldn't trade a good winter season for anything!
Lemon -- Out!
