How and Why Climate Change is Affecting New Brunswick (2024)

We can all play our part in solving climate change.

Climate change is already affecting our physical and mental health

The climate crisis is alreadyharming the most vulnerable in our society: the working poor, seniors, and single mothers to name a few who have fewer social and financial resources to protect themselves from extreme events like heat waves or floods. We all know someone affected by spring and winter flooding on the St. John River, or storm surges and erosion on our coasts. Heatwaves from Bathurst to St. Andrews are harming our health and crops. Power outages in winter and summer put our safety and food at risk.

Extreme weather in New Brunswick

From the recent record-breaking flooding along the St. John River, the 2017 Ice Storm, Hurricanes Arthur and Dorian, to the heat waves, drought and low river levels we’re seeing in the summer,we feel the effects of climate change in our communities.

You can read about the impact extreme weather is having on New Brunswickers’ physical and mental health in our 2019 series,After the flood. Looking for a deeper dive? See how acting on climate change will also make New Brunswick communities healthier in our 2019 report,Healthy Climate, Healthy New Brunswickers.

How and Why Climate Change is Affecting New Brunswick (1)

What difference does a degree or two make?

We’re all sensitive to changes in temperature. Too hot or too cold and we’re just not comfortable. It’s the same with the natural world. In New Brunswick, and Canada, we have warmed at more than double the global rate over the last 70 years: almost two degrees of warming compared to about 1 degree Celsius globally. Sounds like a small increase, doesn’t it? What most of us don’t realize is that it takes avast amount of heatto warm the oceans, land and air by one degree.

Global heating is causingbig changes to the weather. Weather patterns are changing. Weather is becoming extreme. Hotter air absorbs more water, fueling more intense storms that release more rainfall or snow. Flooding disrupts our lives and contaminates soil. Heat waves harm our health. Drought makes it harder to get a good crop and lowers the nutrient value of our food. Hotter temperatures increase the risk of disease from ticks and mosquitoes.

How has the climate (the long-term average of weather) changed in New Brunswick since 1970?

Hotter: Double the level of average warming globally

The Government of New Brunswickreports that temperatures in our province have increasedby 1.5°C relative to historical norms and seasonal temperatures have increased in all parts of the province. Most of this warming has occurred since the late 1970s. The level of warming in our province is similar to the average for the rest of Canada (1.7 degrees Celsiusbetween 1948 and 2016) and it is a ratetwice that of the global average.

Wetter: We are getting more rain and snow per precipitation event

Warmer air holds more moisture, meaning there can be more rain or snow when there is precipitation. All that heat is already increasing precipitation because 71 per cent of the Earth is ocean. Scientists calculate that for every one degree Celsius increase in temperature, the atmosphere can hold seven per cent more water. That extra waterincreases the volume of precipitation by one to two per centper degree of warming.

More unpredictable: More floods, heatwaves, dry periods between extreme rain or snow events

  • From 2000 to 2010, there were more extreme rainfall events (50 millimetres or more of rain over a 24-hour period) in Fredericton and Moncton than any other decade on record. Climate models project that New Brunswick will experience less frequent, but more intense, precipitation events, increasing the annual total precipitationthroughout the province.
  • The increase in annual precipitation can take the form of more snow,increasing snow depthand adding to spring freshet worries and flood risk. It can take the form of more winter rain-ice events causing winter flooding and ice jams and ice-on-snow cover making walking dangerous, especially for seniors.
  • New Brunswick experienced record-breaking floods in 2018 and 2019, partly caused by an above average snowpack and rain partly due to a changing climate, but also by other factors such as land-use, and housing development in flood plains. It is getting hotter, wetter, extreme, and less safe because greenhouse gas levels are not where they need to be and we are not changing the way we do things.


Katharine Hayhoe
, a world-leading climate scientist, explains the situation like this:

Now, let's talk solutions

You know what we’re up against.

The good news is there is lots we can do to slow climate change and protect our communities.

Click here to get started today, or explore the sections below.

How and Why Climate Change is Affecting New Brunswick (2)

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How and Why Climate Change is Affecting New Brunswick (2024)

FAQs

How and Why Climate Change is Affecting New Brunswick? ›

In New Brunswick, experienced and anticipated increased severe weather events, higher average temperatures, and rising sea levels create environments where air and water quality are affected, and invasive species can thrive.

How does climate change affect New Brunswick? ›

In New Brunswick, sea level is predicted to rise by approximately 1m by 2100. Sea level rise combined with high tidal cycle and storm surge can lead to increased flood elevations and increased risk of coastal flooding and coastal erosion risks, potential loss of natural habitat and damage to infrastructure.

How is the climate in New Brunswick? ›

New Brunswick has a blend of climates typical of a coastal area and of an inland province. January is generally the coldest month in New Brunswick and July is the warmest; however, influxes of moist Atlantic air produce mild spells in winter and periods of cool weather in summer.

What is causing all the rain in New Brunswick? ›

The level of warming in our province is similar to the average for the rest of Canada (1.7 degrees Celsius between 1948 and 2016) and it is a rate twice that of the global average. Warmer air holds more moisture, meaning there can be more rain or snow when there is precipitation.

How does climate change affect us in Canada? ›

Higher temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns; extreme weather events, such as floods and heatwaves; and rising sea levels are just some of the changes already affecting our country.

Why is New Brunswick growing? ›

The analysis isn't complete on where people have come from in the last year, but the most recent report, for the four years ending in 2022, indicates that three-quarters of the province's population growth was from interprovincial migration, said Pablo Miah a senior data analyst at the New Brunswick Institute for ...

Is New Brunswick prone to natural disasters? ›

In New Brunswick, river valleys and flood plains can pose a risk because of ice jams, harsh weather and the floods of annual spring thaw. All of these can cause a threat of flooding.

Why is New Brunswick a good place to live? ›

With breathtaking nature to escape into, towns and cities with big city amenities, and friendly people at every turn, New Brunswick is known for its laid-back lifestyle.

What are the emissions of New Brunswick? ›

New Brunswick's GHG emissions in 2020 were 12.4 megatonnes (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). New Brunswick's emissions have declined 23% since 1990 and 37% since 2005. New Brunswick's emissions per capita are 15.9 tonnes CO2e – 10% below the Canadian average of 17.7 tonnes per capita.

Is New Brunswick in a drought? ›

New Brunswick Drought Report:

As of June 2024 approximately 87% (67112 square kilometers) of New Brunswick is Abnormally dry with no areas under drought conditions.

Does NB have a carbon tax? ›

On April 1, 2024, the carbon tax on natural gas will be 15.25 c/m3. The total annual fuel charge cost for a residential natural gas user is estimated to be $403.36.

What year was the ice storm in New Brunswick? ›

Such an event is known as an ice storm. The most expensive Canadian natural disaster was an ice storm that occurred in January 1998 that left a huge swath of land stretching from Kitchener, Ontario, in the west through Quebec to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the east in a layer of ice.

What are the main industries in New Brunswick? ›

Major sectors by employment in New Brunswick include Manufacturing, Transportation and Warehousing and Healthcare and Social Assistance, which employed 41,796, 30,193 and 24,792 people in 2023, respectively.

Where is the best place to live in Canada with climate change? ›

Dennis Schoenmaker, CBRE's executive director and principal economist. (Courtesy CBRE Group, Inc.) A new report from commercial real estate and investment firm CBRE Group, Inc. ranks Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Ottawa as the Canadian cities best positioned for resilience against the effects of climate change.

Where in Canada is most affected by climate change? ›

Compared to urban dwellers, rural Canadians are more vulnerable to climate change in many ways and face challenges to adaptation, says a new federal government report. And rural doctors and health researchers say climate change has been having a big impact on health in rural communities.

Is Canada doing enough for climate change? ›

New analysis: Canada still isn't investing enough in climate action – but Budget 2024 offers an opportunity for practical climate and affordability solutions.

Is New Brunswick affected by hurricanes? ›

Storm surges can also be caused by tropical storms systems (hurricanes). The combination of high winds, heavy wave action and flooding during a storm surge can cause extensive damage to affected areas. Current and future coastal flooding estimates for various parts of the New Brunswick coast.

What is the carbon footprint of New Brunswick? ›

New Brunswick's GHG emissions in 2020 were 12.4 megatonnes (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). New Brunswick's emissions have declined 23% since 1990 and 37% since 2005.

What is the weather like over the year in New Brunswick? ›

In New Brunswick, the climate is warm and temperate. The rainfall in New Brunswick is significant, with precipitation even during the driest month. This climate is considered to be Cfa according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. In New Brunswick, the average annual temperature is 11.2 °C | 52.2 °F.

What states are being most affected by climate change? ›

California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Washington are expected to experience all five major climate change categories over the next few decades. Not surprisingly, all of those states also have Climate Change Risk Index scores higher than the overall U.S. average.

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