By Dan Walmsley
Walmsley Environmental Consultants
Climate change will have many impacts on human populations. The Gulf of Maine has already experienced changes that will impact on human populations. Weather patterns in the Gulf of Maine have undergone changes. There has been an increase in average summer and winter land temperatures. Increased precipitation, more extreme precipitation events and severe drought periods have also been experienced. Melting and thawing of snow occurring earlier.
Average sea level rise for stations in the Gulf of Maine range from 1.2 in Portland, ME to 4.1 mm in Yarmouth, NS. A rise in sea level increases the impacts of storm surges by allowing surges to reach further inland. Highest surges around the Gulf of Maine tend to occur at the head of the Bay of Fundy and in Massachusetts. For storm events and hurricanes, although no specific long term trend of increase is apparent, the Atlantic Basin is currently experiencing an active period.
Provinces and states surrounding the Gulf of Maine have been preparing for the impacts of climate change. An assessment of the vulnerability of coastal environments to sea level rise was undertaken in the US. The findings indicate that the Gulf of Maine coast is considered to have a relatively low risk ranking, there are areas which are of high risk particularly in the southern parts. A similar study was also conducted in Canada. Rankings varied from low to high, depending on the location.
The direct risks and impacts of climate change will depend largely on the density of human populations and characteristics of settlements on the coastal strip. Impacts from climate change fall into the categories of human well-being, disruption of infrastructure and networks, access to goods and services, and adaptive capacity of communities to deal with the issue.
There are two strategies for responding to the potential risks and impacts of climate change: 1) mitigation, which involves reduction of GHG emissions and 2) adaptation, preparing for and minimizing, the predicted impacts.
Currently the international focus is on the reduction of GHG emissions. The conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers has committed to a Climate Change Action Plan that identifies steps to address those aspects of global warming that are within the region’s control to influence. A mid-term goal is to reduce regional GHG emissions by 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. Emergency preparedness is also occurring at the Municipal and Provincial/State level.
More detailed information is provided in the theme paper. www.gulfofmaine.org/state-of-the-gulf/docs/climate-change-and-its-effects-on-humans.pdf
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