Climate change is affecting the entire world, but new research indicates that some places are being particularly hard hit as the Earth heats up. A study commissioned by Environment and Climate Change Canada found that the nation is dealing with warming at twice the rate of the global average, with Canada's northern extremes facing triple the average threat. According to the study, the average temperature over Canadian land has climbed by 35 °F (19.4 °C) since 1948. In that same time, the rest of the Earth has heated up by about half that rate. The report added that Canada has also been dealing with more precipitation, especially in the winter, as well as water supply problems in summer, coastal flooding risks, and more "extreme fire weather." The study cited human activity as the main cause of the increase in temperature, although natural variations in climate also contribute.
The cost of climate change:
- Seventeen of the Earth's 18 hottest years on record have occurred since 2000, with 2016 grabbing the top spot as warmest ever.
- As of 2018, the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere is the highest it has been in three million years.
- According to the Environmental Defense Fund, 97 percent of the world's climate scientists agree that climate change is occurring because of human activity.