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More people feeling concern around climate change, as wildfires burn across Manitoba

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WINNIPEG -

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.

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