More people feeling concern around climate change, as wildfires burn across Manitoba
With wildfires burning throughout the province and dry conditions impacting the agriculture industry, some are pointing to climate change as the cause.
Now, a new poll conducted by Ipsos shows that nearly half of all Canadians have mounting concerns about climate change.
THE SITUATION IN MANITOBA
Right now, there are close to 130 active wildfires in Manitoba.
Droughts have also led to decimated crops and some producers are selling off their cattle.
Curt Hull, project director for Climate Change Connection, said what we're seeing has been predicted for a long time.
"Things like drought and floods, and severe weather, storms, that kind of thing. Those are the kinds of things that are predicted to be more frequent and more severe, and that's what we're seeing,” Hull said.
GROWING CONCERNS
Concern about climate change is growing among Canadians.
A poll conducted by Ipsos shows that in light of recent weather events, 49 per cent of Canadians say the need to address climate change is more urgent.
That sentiment is even stronger with younger Canadians. Fifty-six per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 34 say they feel climate change is more urgent than they did in the past, compared to 43 per cent of Canadians aged 35 to 54.
Hull said the youth in Canada are the ones who will have to live with the effects of climate change.
"The severe droughts, the severe floods that we're seeing right now are going to get more frequent and severe in the future, and that's their future,” he said.
“That's where they're living, that's where they're going to be living, so rightfully they're concerned about that future."
The Ipsos poll also shows the heightened urgency about climate change is more prevalent in Quebec and British Columbia at 56 and 55 per cent.
In Manitoba, only 44 per cent say they felt an increased urgency.
Hull said one of the keys to fighting climate change is being able to feed ourselves without a reliance on fossil fuels.
CREATING CHANGE
Anderson Family Farm says it has taken steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"We bought a solar system that basically replaces all our hydro on the farm,” said Brad Anderson of Anderson Family Farm.
“It's a grid-tied system so we get paid for the Hydro we produce and then we buy Hydro back from the grid."
Eric Reder with the Wilderness Committee said people have to act on climate change now to limit the challenges we're going to face in the future.
He said agricultural producers are going to feel the impacts the most.
"The way that they work the land, it's going to change, the way that suburbanites deal with their lawn, or their vehicles or heat or cool their houses, those things are going to have to change,” Reder said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have told the court the accused unlawfully caused the death of four women, but argue he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Holocaust researchers use AI to search for unnamed victims
Researchers in Israel are turning to artificial intelligence to comb through piles of records to try to identify hundreds of thousands of Jewish people killed in the Holocaust whose names are missing from official memorials.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.