Petition example 2: Moderately detailed

Environmental Petition

Name of petitioner: #####

Address of petitioner: #####

Telephone number: #####

Email address: #####

I hereby submit this petition to the Auditor General of Canada under section 22 of the Auditor General Act.

Signature of petitioner: #####

Date: March 19th, 2015

Implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in the Canadian North.

Background information:

The areal extent, thickness, and concentration of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has strongly decreased in recent decades.^{Footnote 1} Since 2002 there have been near-record minimums, with arctic sea ice extents being far less than both recorded pre‑1980 levels and the median extent of the 1980-2000 period.^{Footnote 2} Losses in September monthly average sea ice extent have been shown by satellite records to be more than 11 percent per decade since 1979 (reaching a yearly extant minimum in 2013 approximately 3.4 million kilometers squaredkm2 less than the mean of the 1979-2000 yearly minimum).^{Footnote 3} To date western and central Canadian Arctic temperatures have increased on average by 2-3 degrees Celsius°C in the last 50 years.^{Footnote 4} This fact, along with predictions from climate models such as those provided by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which suggest that the Arctic will experience a large increase in surface temperature over the next century, indicate that the Arctic region and its human and non‑human inhabitants are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.^{Footnote 5} Specifically, Inuit communities which rely on seasonal access to sea ice for hunting and fishing are vulnerable; climactic changes to environmental conditions will affect traditional food systems, thus impacting food security in northern communities.^{Footnote 6} Numerous plant and animal species such as polar bears, harped seals, spotted seals, ringed seals, and ivory gulls are also at risk of being negatively affected by this loss in sea ice. Changes in the marine food web connected to sea ice are likely to occur as the loss of sea ice will create an ecological shift away from ice-obligate predators (such as ringed seals, and polar bears) to pelagic fauna, and organisms which have evolved migratory behaviors in sync with seasonal changes in the ice extent are also expected to face challenges due to the increased decline and loss of arctic sea ice.^{Footnote 7} Economically and politically, declining sea ice will also create greater access and competition for natural resources such as petroleum and minerals in the arctic region, as well as opening up shipping lanes for international trade. This is likely to have profound impacts on the relationships between nation states which border the Arctic Circle.^{Footnote 8}

Therefore, I request that the Government of Canada outline:

1. What specific steps are being taken by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and/or other responsible federal agencies to assist adaptation in northern communities to the predicted changes brought by climate alteration; in respect to declining sea ice and its impact on food security by interrupting traditional hunting practices which said communities rely on? Are there specific programs or initiatives that deal with this issue? If so, what are they?

2. What steps are being taken by the Parks Canada Agency and Environment Canada and/or other responsible agencies to mitigate the effects of climate change on vulnerable plant and animal species in boreal, taiga, and arctic ecosystems in the Canadian North? Are strategies preemptive (for examplei.e. do they take into account that some species may not be able to be adequately adapt to climate change and should proactively be protected beforehand)? Are species risk assessment and conservation efforts based on predicted environmental changes from a range of climate models?

3. What steps are being taken by National Defense, Natural Resources Canada, and Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada or other relevant ministries to ensure Canadian sovereignty in the Canadian arctic in the context of climate change which allows for increasing access to natural resources such as diamonds and petroleum deposits? Are there any collaborative programs or initiatives with other nation states regarding resource security in the arctic? If so what are they? Are there any specific military or foreign policy initiatives that deal with this issue? If so, what are they?

Sincerely,

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