Resource Category: Summary Documents

This study was funded and managed by the Prairie
Adaptation Research Collaborative (PARC).
Initiated in 2000 from the Government of Canada’s
Climate Change Action Fund, PARC is an
interdisciplinary research network established to
research the potential impacts of climate change on
the Canadian Prairie Provinces and develop
appropriate adaptation strategies. PARC also funds
and coordinates the training of personnel in climate
change adaptation research. The University of
Winnipeg also contributed funding for this study.

In the most recent assessment undertaken by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) a
number of conclusions concerning global climate change
were reached, including the following: “that the increasing
body of observations gives a collective picture of a
warming world and other changes in the climate system”
and that “there is new and stronger evidence that most of
the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable
to human activities” (IPCC, 2001).

Climate change impacts in Saskatchewan are already evident, and will become increasing significant over time. This report draws on the expertise of top climate change researchers and a large body of previous work to create a state-of-knowledge synthesis of key biophysical impacts and adaptation options specific to Saskatchewan.

The most recent assessment undertaken by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC,
2007) concluded that “Warming of the climate system
is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of
increases in global average air and ocean temperatures,
widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global
average sea level”. This summary addresses the question of
what projected changes in global average climate mean for
Saskatchewan specifically.

The effectiveness of our efforts to mitigate the effects of
and adapt to climate change will depend upon effective policy
formulation and implementation. If past policy failures are
any indication, however, good policy is not solely a function
of the identification of new needs, in some instances it may
require substantial institutional change.

The Prairie Ecozone is the only major region of Canada where drought is a natural hazard. Management of prairie ecosystems and soil landscapes therefore requires an understanding of past variability and future trends in regional aridity.