Monday’s are not always easy and to be honest, not usually my favourite day of the week.
This past Monday was going to be different. Months ago, I was asked to be the keynote speaker at this year’s Scotia Horticultural Congress at the Old Orchard Inn in the valley. I love nothing more than the opportunity to talk about the weather.
As excited as I was about it, I was also more nervous than I have been in a while. The theme this year was “A Climate of Change” and I was asked to speak on “Climate Change.” That’s a big one. Our local farmers, producers and growers have been dealing with wild temperature extremes, flooding rains and drought with alarming frequency. This week, they gathered to discuss the changes in the weather that were leading to other big changes in their industry.
I knew that making the point for climate change over climate trends or cyclical variability could be tough.
But there is no disputing the science:
Regionally,
- The number of record high-temperature events has been increasing, while the number of record low-temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950.
- In Atlantic Canada, both the frequency of winter thaws and the intensity of precipitation events have increased.
- Global sea level rose about 20 cm. or eight inches in the last century. An Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report suggests an additional 20 cm. rise in Halifax would lead to four times the flooding currently experienced. Regardless of whether emissions drop or increase, that 20-cm. rise is expected to happen within the next 20 to 30 years.
The science is there and anecdotally, the evidence is overwhelming too. I had the pleasure of answering some great questions during and following my presentation. I also stayed a while and wandered through the trade show. As I walked around the room, it became quite obvious that the people who grow our food come from all walks of life and are part of an incredible network; joining the farmers, producers and growers, were representatives from financial institutions, insurance companies, researchers from local universities, seed company reps, and mental-health workers. This industry is well-positioned to deal with the changes; in fact, they are adapting to the climate change already in the pipeline.
Agriculture is the backbone of our economy, the heart and soul of our communities.
It’s crucial that we keep the conversation going…
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Cindy Day is the chief meteorologist for SaltWire Network
