Implications of a 2°C Global Temperature Rise on Canada's Water Resources

The report, co-authored by leading climate scientists Dr. James Bruce and Dr. Tina Tin, builds on a growing body of research assessing the risks associated with a global average temperature rise of 2°C (considered by scientists to be the danger threshold for environmental and human systems). The report describes how water flows in the Athabasca River in Alberta have decreased by about 20% from 1958 to 2003. As well, during record hot and dry years (from 1998 to 2001) the Great Lakes water levels have been consistently low. The report sites these two case studies as examples of what may happen if climate change continues to warm the earth: changes in rainfall patterns, more evaporation from lakes and rivers and less glacial flow resulting in lower lake levels and river flows.