Climate Change Action

There is not just one project or committee at the EAC that deals with the threat of climate change:  it affects all our areas of focus.  Here is information on what our committees are doing, and what you can do to address the climate crisis.

• Built Environment
• Coastal Issues
• Energy Issues
• Food Action
• Marine Issues
• Transportation
• Wilderness Issues
   

Built Environment

Planning
The distance that people travel to work and amenities is increasing with urban sprawl. Support compact, mixed use, transit-oriented communities:

• Attend an EAC Built Environment Committee meeting, the second Thursday of each month at 5:30 pm.
• learn more about how green renovations and green building can save energy and resources in your home by taking a tour of the Ecology Action Centre's green office renovation.

Pesticides
The manufacture and distribution of pesticides results in greenhouse gas emissions. Garden sustainably:

• Add mulch beds and rock gardens to reduce the size of you lawn, so you have less to mow and maintain
• Use a push mower - it’s great exercise
• Plant trees – as few as three carefully positioned trees that grow to eight metres can save up to 25% of a household’s heating and cooling needs

Coastal Issues

Healthy coastlines help protect Nova Scotia against the impacts of climate change. Coastal areas need our help and protection as they are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Approximately 80% of the Atlantic Region’s coast is considered to be highly sensitive to sea-level rise with researchers predicting an average increase in sea-level rise of 50 cm by 2100. Nova Scotia’s coasts are already under pressure from human activities including the disruption of natural processes and natural buffers. Climate change will put even more pressure on coastal environments. How to help:

•  Understand Your Coast. Learn about the functions and natural values of coastal landforms; natural processes/cycles of erosion and deposition, and impacts of climate change to the coast. You can learn more from websites such as Coastweb and C-Ciarn Coastal Zone.
•  Keep the Coast Clear. Avoid the risk of sea level rise by not developing the coastal zone. Keep residential and commercial developments and structures well back from coastal areas. Respect (and ask for stronger) coastal zoning, legislative setbacks, land use guidelines.
•  Protect Existing Natural Buffer Zones. Ensure the care and maintenance of wetlands, forests and vegetation around coastal areas and water ways. Natural buffer zones along the coast help reduce the impacts of increased frequency and scope of storm surges and extreme events.
•  Be a Shoreline Steward. Help enhance the resilience of coastal systems - rehabilitate damaged coastal dunes, restore salt marshes and wetlands. Encourage land use activities and design infrastructure that reduces impacts on natural features and processes i.e. bridges rather than causeways. Living by Water provides advice on for coastal property owners and visitors on shoreline protection, waste disposal and landscaping.
• Be part of a made in Nova Scotia solution. Join the Coastal Coalition of Nova Scotia in working towards a provincial coastal management policy that will incorporate coastal system responses to climate change.

Energy Issues

Electricity production and use accounts for 65% of Nova Scotia’s greenhouse gas emissions. Be energy efficient and use renewable energy:

• Learn how homeowners in Atlantic Canada use solar technologies, such as solar energy, to reduce their emissions at Solar Nova Scotia and enter the Solar Homes Contest
• Tour the Ecology Action Centre
• Improve the energy efficiency of your home
• Help the Energy Issues Committee develop a sustainable energy path for the province by acting as a watchdog, participating as public interest interveners, and promoting sustainable energy policies for the province. Read a recent assessment of Nova Scotia's progress on Climate Change Action by downloading the New England and Eastern Canada Report Card on Climate Change Action.

Food Issues

Every day, at every meal, people can choose locally-produced food. That’s a lot of action!

• Reduce your food miles and personal Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by choosing locally produced honey or maple syrup instead of sugar; local blueberries and raspberries instead of bananas and oranges; local apple cider instead of imported juices; locally produced vegetables in season. You can even get locally produced oats and wheat at Speerville Mill (1-866-277-6371).
• If you eat meat, ask for locally-produced at restaurants and grocery stores.
• Reduce food miles, get to know local producers at Farmer’s Markets, and support a vibrant rural economy at the same time! And of course, enjoy great yummy food that isn’t travel-weary.
• Choosing organically produced foods can also help reduce your carbon-footprint.  Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are made from natural gas and petroleum products.  Organic producers do not use these products, and use more sustainable methods of building soil fertility and pest control.

Marine Issues

Oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface. Climate change will have a tremendous impact on marine ecosystems, and the oceans face an added threat from acidification due to carbon dioxide emissions. Participating in actions that reduce emissions will decrease the impact of climate change on the complex ecosystems of the deep blue sea! For example, eat locally:

• Buy seafood that is caught locally and sustainably

Sable Island Research Station
Valuable research has identified dangerous climate change as an increase in average global temperature of 2°C; average global temperature has already increased 0.6°C. Support local research:

• Support continued funding for the Sable Island Research Station.  Research began on Sable Island in 1974 after research in Hawaii demonstrated the global increase of greenhouse gases. Since then a wide range of research and monitoring relevant to understanding climate change has been carried out on Sable Island.  

Transportation Issues

Transportation accounts for one-half of an average Canadian’s greenhouse gas emissions. Travel sustainably:

Active and Safe Routes to School

• Encourage your children to walk to and from school when possible
•  Encourage your school to participate in International Walk to School Day

TRAX

• Encourage your workplace to offer a Workplace Transit Pass
• Join ADAPT, the Association of Doctors for Physically Active Transportation
•  Walk, run, bike, skateboard, or move in any active way

Wilderness Issues

There is major concern about the ability of our forests and the wildlife species that depend on them to adapt to the new conditions created by climate change. The rate of temperature change for the next 100 years is predicted to be about the same as the changes that have taken place over the last 10,000 years. Conservation science suggests that our best defense against climate change is large protected areas, intact old growth forests, and ecosystem-based forest management. Maintain our wilderness:

• Support our Public Lands campaign for more protected areas
• Support our Standing Tall campaign for environmentally responsible forestry
• If you own a woodlot, encourage resiliency to the impacts of climate change.  Contact EAC forestry coordinator Jamie Simpson for ideas.