Three regional reports of the Canada Country Study were released in November 1997. According to the report Responding to Global Climate Change in the Prairies, average potential crop yields may fall by 10-30%; however, new crop varieties could be developed which would diversify the economy. While the growth and productivity within the boreal forest ecosystem could improve in the central and northern regions, it is likely that there will also be increased disturbances such as fire, insects and diseases.

Hydroelectric production will compete with other uses (primarily agricultural) for diminishing water. Reduced hydropower production could lead to more dependency on thermal power production, bringing higher fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

The report on Climate Change and Climate Variability in Atlantic Canada, identifies regional susceptibilities to the impact of climate change and variability. The social and economic conditions of people who live in Atlantic Canada depend greatly on the need to sustain natural resources.

Potential impacts in the Atlantic region include: accelerated rise in sea-level, causing flood risk, coastal erosion, sediment redistribution and coastal sedimentation; increased storm frequency and intensity; cooling trends in parts of Atlantic Canada; shifts in the distribution of fish species and migration patterns; and an increase in insects and/or disease affecting agriculture.

The third report, Responding to Global Climate Change in Canada's Arctic, says the region will be susceptible to the impacts of climate change and variability, affecting every major human activity in the Arctic. Some of these changes will bring economic benefits, which may, however, be offset by new problems.

A major potential impact of climate change on the Arctic region is that a doubling of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere may cause winter temperatures over the mainland of the Canadian Arctic to rise by 5-7°C over the next century. Summer temperatures will also increase by nearly 5°C over the mainland and by 1-2°C over marine areas. Annual precipitation increases of up to 25% may occur, with the largest increases occurring in summer and autumn.

The full reports are available from 1-800-668-6767.

The Columbia Icefield is the source of one of North America's largest supplies of fresh water. There can be no tolerance for pollution here. So what do you do with human waste from half a million visitors a year? The answer: replace the inadequate old wastewater treatment system with a system that treats wastewater to such a high degree that it can be discharged back to the glacier field.

State-of-the-art oxidation and biological treatment handles up to 250,000 litres of wastewater per day. One of the challenges faced by the new system is the seasonal aspect of the operation. The Columbia Icefield Centre, which hosts up to 500,000 people in a summer, shuts down every winter.

The treatment system must be able to start up very quickly in the spring in the aftermath of winter temperatures that dip to -40°C. Results from the system so far have been excellent.