This past December, Toronto broke its thirty-six-year-old record for the warmest Christmas Eve to date. Climate change can be characterized by long term changes in weather conditions, including shifts in temperature, precipitation and extreme weather events. Human induced climate change was discovered after the industrial revolution. This is when scientists noticed the warming of the atmosphere, through the greenhouse effect. Clear evidence of the costs of climate change can be found in increased temperatures, rising sea levels, melting Arctic ice, diminishing wildlife, changing landscape and heat related illnesses. Canada 's climate change efforts to date have not been favourable. Canada is also the only country in the world to withdraw from
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Foreign policy is an action plan formulated by a nation to foster its relationship with other nations, to achieve mutual and national objectives. This will be effective in combating climate change because it is a global issue. Climate change is not an affair that is exclusive to Canada. As a result, its efforts should not be exclusive to Canada. From 1990 to 2011, Canada has only contributed to two percent of the world 's total cumulative greenhouse gas emissions (Ge, Friedrich & Damassa, 2014). Evidently, reducing Canada 's greenhouse gas emissions will not solve the issue. It will barely scratch the surface. This makes it imperative for Canada to collaborate with other countries, through foreign policy. Moreover, foreign policy can be used to recuperate from the effects of climate change. The battle against climate change should not only consist of proposing solutions, it is also about recovering from the aftermath of climate change. In 2010, there were 874 weather and climate related disasters, that resulted in 68,000 deaths and $99 billion in damages worldwide (Huber, Gulledge, 2011). These tragedies need an abundance of funding and volunteering in order to recover in a timely manner, which has rarely happened. Canada can use foreign policy as a tool to combine efforts and resources with other nations, to provide rapid response. Foreign policy will also be beneficial because the Arctic plays a significant role in climate change. As the Arctic suffers, the rest of the planet suffers along with it. The consequences include rising sea levels, extreme weather incidents, heat related illnesses and disease. The land is governed by the Arctic Council, which consists of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. These countries have territory which lay within the Arctic, and accordingly, they have sovereignty
Foreign policy is an action plan formulated by a nation to foster its relationship with other nations, to achieve mutual and national objectives. This will be effective in combating climate change because it is a global issue. Climate change is not an affair that is exclusive to Canada. As a result, its efforts should not be exclusive to Canada. From 1990 to 2011, Canada has only contributed to two percent of the world 's total cumulative greenhouse gas emissions (Ge, Friedrich & Damassa, 2014). Evidently, reducing Canada 's greenhouse gas emissions will not solve the issue. It will barely scratch the surface. This makes it imperative for Canada to collaborate with other countries, through foreign policy. Moreover, foreign policy can be used to recuperate from the effects of climate change. The battle against climate change should not only consist of proposing solutions, it is also about recovering from the aftermath of climate change. In 2010, there were 874 weather and climate related disasters, that resulted in 68,000 deaths and $99 billion in damages worldwide (Huber, Gulledge, 2011). These tragedies need an abundance of funding and volunteering in order to recover in a timely manner, which has rarely happened. Canada can use foreign policy as a tool to combine efforts and resources with other nations, to provide rapid response. Foreign policy will also be beneficial because the Arctic plays a significant role in climate change. As the Arctic suffers, the rest of the planet suffers along with it. The consequences include rising sea levels, extreme weather incidents, heat related illnesses and disease. The land is governed by the Arctic Council, which consists of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. These countries have territory which lay within the Arctic, and accordingly, they have sovereignty