Addressing Climate Change in Canada's Arctic: Policy Recommendations

Climate change has been a growing issue in Canada’s arctic that the nation has seen over the past few decades, and protecting the arctic environment is crucial task that needs to be exercised. Though strategies have been developed in prior years, Canada’s arctic is now facing severe consequences of climate change more than ever, and it is vital that future strategies are made to be effective enough to minimize the threat of climate change. After examining many potential policies that could be beneficial to help diminish the negative effects of climate change in Canada’s arctic, I have discovered three prominent ones to address in this policy brief. The first policy I am analyzing is having Canada sign the Paris Agreement. I then will evaluate

The third policy proposed is the one that I urge the Prime Minister of Canada to administer in Canada’s arctic, as it is the most effective and suitable policy.

Canada’s arctic has evidently suffered from substantial climate change, resulting in devastating impacts on all systems in the north. Many climate models indicate that these significant changes will only progress in the future. The monitoring of temperatures in the Arctic have demonstrated that, over roughly the past 50 years, there has been a warming of about 2 to 3°C as of 2009. The average temperature in the arctic has increased almost twice as fast than the rest of the world. In 2020, the projected increase is up to 4°C as well as 8°C by 2050. A numbers of studies have shown that, based on previous climate records, there has been issues of rising sea levels, alterations in sea-ice dynamics, and permafrost degradation. Though there have been multiple strategies posed and adopted, the government of Canada needs to develop an arctic strategy that is more proactive and systemic than previous actions. This strategy needs to be global in its goals for mitigation while still monitoring social, cultural, and economic aspects

Putting a strong emphasis on initiatives such as the Canada Clean Energy Dialogue can help do this, as well as switching to using low-impact renewable energy. This policy is one that I do recommend to the Prime Minister, as it works well with the Paris Agreement and is evidently the most effective one due to the advantages that it will have in the arctic. The Paris Agreement does aim to lower greenhouse gasses. All parties are required to provide information focusing on progress of their greenhouse gas emissions targets and efforts of adaptation. In addition to this, Canada has the technology to develop new knowledge about permafrost, which is an advantage for studying greenhouse gas emissions. Canada and the United States have established the Clean Energy Dialogue, which is to develop efficient technologies to reduce greenhouse gasses and the development clean energy in order to fight climate change. This is an adequate initiative because the United States and Canada share the closest energy relationship in the world, as both countries are very resourceful when concerning natural resources and possess talented human resources to incorporate in the protection of the environment. In working on switching to cleaner energies such as natural gas, it enables reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at a