Climatic and Environmental Changes Affecting Communities in Atlantic Canada

Abstract

Small rural coastal communities located in Atlantic Canada are vulnerable to the effects of climate and environmental changes. Major storms have impounded the coastline, causing much physical damage and affecting the socioeconomics of these communities that are composed of an aging population. The current study relays findings based on interviews completed in 2011-2012, following the 2010 winter storms in Atlantic Canada. It portrays the physical and social-ecological impacts affecting 10 coastal communities located in the provinces of Québec, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. Semi-structured interviews held in these provinces are the basis for the contributions of this research. The findings reveal physical changes related to coastal erosion from high-wave impacts and storm surge causing flooding of the coastal zone. Also considered are strategies preferred and actually implemented by residents, such as building of protection walls, although undesirable. Due to funding constraints, however, many of these large-scale flood protection projects are not possible without governmental support. Instead, it is suggested that development be controlled and some respondents in this study upheld that relocation be used to alleviate the situation. Finally, more work is required to improve emergency planning. Better concerted short-and long-term responses need to be coordinated by local authorities and higher up in the government in order to ensure the sustainability of these coastal communities.

Impact of Land-Use and Land-Cover Change on Meteorology in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region from 1990 to 2010

“…With the major change in climate, many researchers have extensively explored this issue. The fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also notes that since the industrial revolution, urban expansion has become one of the main causes of global warming, while sea level rise and frequent extreme weather events have a certain relationship with forest and grassland degradation [6], which influenced people's lives [7]. In recent decades, LULC has undergone substantial changes in China during its shift from an agricultural to an industrialized country, which was accompanied by the process of urbanization [8,9].…”

Physical Geography and Environmental Sustainability

“…Moreover, because of the interdisciplinary perspective that is created by having several sub-disciplinary fields within physical geography, including geomorphologists, climatologists, soil scientists, biogeographers, and hydrologists, it is possible to include a breadth of research studies and expertise that stretches beyond most environmental disciplines. The papers in this Special Issue, for instance, have entailed soil science (e.g., [4,6]) as well as landscape change (e.g., [3,9]) and impacts due to climate change, including flooding (e.g., [10,11]). A variety of methodological approaches are incorporated here, with spatial technology (remote sensing, GIS, etc.)…”

One approach for downscaling climate change data towards regional implications in climate change scenarios: the case for Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

“…Provincially speaking, having an extensive coastline and numerous coastal communities in Newfoundland and Labrador increases the risk of land-sea climate change impacts. These communities, like others in Atlantic Canada, are already experiencing severe storms and other associated impacts of climate change [29]. Importantly, there has not been significant regional or local community temperature forecasting released or published by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.…”