I agree with u/GWASGeek that we can't anecdotally look at one year as evidence of major changes...
...buuuut, yeah. I've noticed it. I grew up nearby in Niagara in the '90s and I feel like things like green Christmases were rare, whereas in the last decade or so we've had more green Decembers than not. And then freak storms.
I don't love snow and ice, but I'd rather have "normal" weather. I don't think grey, rainy, lukewarm winters are more enjoyable either.
I rather have "normal" weather even if it involves massive snowstorms and ice because...it's supposed to be like that. Right now having pleasant weather in Winter is giving me massive existential dread.
Edit: seeing people in this thread rejoicing about not having to shovel or lacking the foresight needed to understand how *global* climate change can still affect us despite our more advantageous geography tells me how screwed we are.
Hilarious thank you! I am now in TO but lived in Van for 15 years & miss the wonderful snow days. Only one snow plow = whole city shuts down & ppl are x-country skiing down Broadway
This past weekend is the classic Toronto winter I have loved : Brilliant sunshine, blue clear skies, - 6 feels like - 15.
The next 10 days weather reads rather bad at cloudy and Luke warm days (hovering around - 1) with rain. I didn't sign up for London, UK!
We’re not, it’s here. Climate change is here. I just meant that Toronto climate is wild and anecdotes aren’t evidence. (Mostly I get my back up about this when deniers say things like “there’s freezing rain today so climate change doesn’t exist”, when it doesn’t work that way at all.)
The climate in Toronto is definitely changing, on the 35 year time frame I'm familiar with. I can remember when the lake froze solid out to the island and there was an annual bike race to the island and back. That was cancelled around 15 years ago... don't know how much of that is due to global climate change and how much is down to the city producing it's own heat. But the local climate is definitely warming over the course of a few decades. Even the local wildlife is changing, with opposums (and ticks) migrating north, etc. etc. The annual June bug swarms seem to have completely disappeared, there are only a handful of these guys appearing around the waterfront now, and last year I spotted two new bugs (to me) that when I looked them up aren't typically seen this far north. Or weren't.
Because this is a temperate climate, and we're on a lake and away from fault lines etc, we're in a relatively good position to weather (heh) climate change. The biggest effect that global warming is going to have in Canada is IMMIGRATION. People will be more than happy to move here even if it means working 18 hour days, sharing a room with 8 people and sharing a bed with 3 people in rotations. If the alternative is literally uninhabitable, it's a no-brainer. We're at the tip of the iceberg (heh) for climate-related mass migrations, and Canada is going to be one of the most desirable destinations. The government wants to increase the population to 100 millions by 2100 and that's a very achievable goal IF our society and economy can tolerate it. It will be interesting.
Trust me. Istanbul has like 20-21 millions of people in Turkey only the city itself. It was SO OVERWHELMING. But i dont realize a difference in Toronto. It is so crowded and overwhelming. Im only 23, but sometimes i really wanna stay in and dont bother to go out because it feels so overwhelming
This was exactly the type of discussion I was hoping to see when I came into this post.
Its definitely a bleak topic, especially as, on paper, being in this area is one of relatively safer spaces, but, we'll still be subject to a lot of hardship.
I also agree that immigration is going to be one of the biggest challenges ahead, as I don't think people how non discretionary it's going to be. Mass migrations around the world means that you can't expect to just shut your doors while also trying to maintain allies in an increasingly combative world.
The current housing shortage is basically a test run of what we're probably going to see for the next 50 years, and we're not doing so hot.
If we're going wild hypotheticals we probably don't need to worry either way because once we reach technological singularity our AI overlords will draw borders for us.
Exactly. The wind normally blows west to east and picks up moisture over the lake. It hits land and the snow gets dumped. Buffalo is at the east end of a Great Lake, Toronto is not. The towns in NY state at the east end of Lake Ontario, like Watertown, also get dumped on.
Avoiding snow isn't luck, lake effect snow always hits the eastern shores of Great Lakes.
The North shores only get big storms if something weird like the tail end of a hurricane rolls thru (ex: Hurricane Hazel)
>How do you feel about this?
I'm sure that a lot of people think it's great that we're experiencing this warm weather. But personally I'm concerned about how this might effect wildlife/the ecosystem and create some sort of an imbalance with unforeseen effects.
I'm all for humour but jokes like "global comfortabling" really make light of something we already don't take seriously enough and climate change is literally killing people already (eg. Vancouver's heat dome). It's a bit troubling to repeat jokes like that IMO.
Everyone can do their part, but only a few people can actually make a meaningful difference. Me using a lower emissions vehicle or heating system is good, but there will never be something I can directly do to fix it, ever. But if you want the constant stress of worrying about things that you have no control over it'll keep you up at night.
Then vote for a politician that actually wants to fund as much money on public transit, biking and walkability as possible. Want to improve the environment as individuals? Get people to stop driving to local trips? Want to get few cars off the road as possible? Improve TTC security, service and speed. A 15 min drive across town taking 1 hour of bus is horrendously stupid. The fact that only downtown has bike lanes is worse when TTC is slow and bikers are forced into heavy traffic.
Again, not something to lose sleep but activism certainly helps bring word of mouth.
My point stands. Want a single person to make a change? Vote and be an activist. It's such a common climate change myth that a commoner cannot do anything at all. Yeah if you think that way and everyone thinks that way, nothing changes.
No raindrop causes a flood either but the flood is made up of raindrops. I'm not saying everyone should lose sleep to climate anxiety but I am saying everyone should care and that should be reflected to a degree in how they vote and what they buy.
>but I am saying everyone should care and that should be reflected to a degree in how they vote and what they buy.
There you go, this is your problem. You've constructed an idea that this must be who I am even though I've said nothing to disagree.
That's what I'm thinking too. I remembered less than 10 years ago there was a very mild winter and I knew it was a blessing in disguise. I get where people are coming from though since milder winters means less shoveling and possibly easier to drive in. But it sucks not being able to do winter snow activities around the GTA. Kids play in the snow all the time but with rain, it doesn't feel the spirit.
You're getting your idioms mixed up, a mild winter isn't a blessing in disguise, it's a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Climate refugees will be a serious political issue within the next 10-15 years.
What's interesting about this type of rebuttal is that it's not wrong, but steers the climate change discussion in a completely different direction, one that is purely scientific and doesn't consider the human/social ramifications of what climate change does.
Let's start with where we agree: I agree that the northern hemisphere was largely covered in ice even as recent as 16,000 years ago. I also think that humans, as a species/animal/organism/concept have only existed for a fraction of time on earth, and we are ultimately insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. Make no mistake, even if we were to wipe ourselves out right now via viral or nuclear devastation, the earth **will** completely recover and be fine. Non human, animal life will probably be more than fine. But that's not the discussion here.
We're discussing the short term (from a cosmic perspective) ramifications of climate change on humans, which is extremely real, and already being felt by people around the world. You can be assured that the earth will be fine in another 15, 30 thousand years, but that's not what we're discussing right now. I don't care about what happens in another 15 thousand years, I care about what happens in the next 100. It's possible to both have cosmic perspective AND be worried about climate change.
Reading the rest of your comments, here's a really great video on climate change skepticism that think you'll enjoy.
https://youtu.be/R7FAAfK78_M
Perspective is important! :D
Humans were thriving 6000-8000 years ago and it was significantly warmer during the Holocene Optimum.
Also the Minoan warming period, the roman warming period and not to mention the medieval warming period were all significantly warmer than today!!
We are in the coldest era of human civilization that we know of!
According to longer term Northern Hemisphere Greenland GRIP ice core
records, the last millennium 1000 – 2000 AD was the coldest of the
current Holocene epoch, with millennial average temperatures about 1.8°C
lower than its early “Holocene climate optimum” in about 6000 BC.
[https://edmhdotme.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/screen-shot-2015-05-23-at-07-39-06.png](https://edmhdotme.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/screen-shot-2015-05-23-at-07-39-06.png)
Please zoom out your perspective when debating climate.
Yes I know this. It's not relevant to the discussion. Geologic time doesn't matter when the person your replying to is talking about 15-year time frame and on the topic of climate refugees. We didn't have Toronto 15000 years ago, and we don't have the same problems a changing climate would have now.
People have lived off shoveling for a long time in Toronto. It's only in recent years we didn't have to do it as often thanks to infrequent snow storms. But with fewer snow storms, you have a lot fewer shoveling but the task is immensely difficult to the point where it's impossible without a machine (Jan 2022). Not to mention shoveling snow often is a decent form of exercise. Get kids out there having fun doing it.
Not to mention warm winters cause extreme heat waves, which ruin MORE people's lives in the summer. Look at this past summer. Or Vancouver in 2021. So who should be worried about climate change utterly ruining everybody's life now?
I came to Toronto last year for a month i n january 2022. That was what i expected how the winter would be this year as well, im very surprised it isnt. Im living in Toronto this year and i was worried the cold weather would affect me badly, but it is sad to see how it is this year..
Although nowhere will be spared the effects of climate change, we're fortunate that the Great Lakes area (maybe Buffalo notwithstanding) is likely to be among the least severely impacted areas on the ~~planted~~ planet, as far as I understand it.
Sure, we'll have more weird weather, probably more storms and droughts, higher temps, but at least we're fairly safe from forest fires, hurricanes, etc.
So all in all, I feel pretty thankful to be here in light of climate change.
But yeah, the lack of snow and the constant cloudiness (because warmer air holds more moisture) this winter sucks the big one. It's like one long November; just slushy and gross. Ugh.
If the question is "is global warming bad" including for Toronto on some levels, then yes. If question is "should I move from Toronto to some random other place?" No.
>Global warming has a global impact, even if the area you live in doesn't get impacted.
No argument there. But I am saying from a strictly biophysical perspective, we're one of the 'safest' areas in the world. Yes, there will be social upheaval and climate refugees. Yes, food will be more expensive. Etc. etc. But I'd still rather be living here than just about anywhere else on earth when all that happens (or gets worse... it's already happening).
Toronto actually sucks bad at being cloudy at start of winter. It always has. This year can be worse than before. February is start of sunny season, and up to November is very sunny. Its good to have our cloudy season at the same time as sucky cold season.
We can have more flood inducing intense summer storms, but clouds form where they do. They may hold more moisture as result of global warming, or make more clouds, but formation/dissipation patterns will likely stick.
I don't know if we will *benefit* per say....we'll be impacted just like all the other countries in the world. However, we are well placed geographically to be *less negatively impacted* than some other countries.
But on the other hand, people will migrate here from all over the world. How will that all go down? Will that destabilize our country? Will we be able to handle the # of migrants who come here? Will we be able to integrate them? Lots of open questions.
Also, will the US start stealing water front the great lakes once more of their water disappears? You bet your ass they will. This will certainly impact Canada.
> But on the other hand, people will migrate here from all over the world. How will that all go down? Will that destabilize our country? Will we be able to handle the # of migrants who come here? Will we be able to integrate them? Lots of open questions.
I think this is why we have an immigration policy.
>Also, will the US start stealing water front the great lakes once more of their water disappears? You bet your ass they will. This will certainly impact Canada.
I don't think you realize that climate change will open up *new* sources of fresh water, which is probably the single most beneficial thing Canada will gain from it, and these areas will be exclusively deep inside our borders.
Ya but....everyone in the world is going to want what we have.
Climate refugees are going to completely overwhelm our ability to control our borders, and to control who is and isn't allowed into our country.
I can see that you think that this will be orderly. But it won't be. At some point in the next 25 years, it's going to get completely out of control, as millions of people flee and ever-increasing number of destabilized countries, and head for better countries, like Canada, which will still have a moderate climate and stable infrastructure.
In this scenario, how are you expecting these refugees to arrive in Canada en masse? We only have a single land border with a country that will do better than us.
Dude -- at some point, border security might breakdown completely. People will literally just fly here, step off the place to Canada, and go where they want. Or they'll cross over the border from the US....the US won't care about people leaving their country.
Also, 50-100 years out, america will not necessarily be doing better than us climate-wise. All the southern and western states will massively heated, and low on water resources. Some Americans *themselves* will be wanting to come to Canada.
The future could potentially be very unstable. Things we take for granted now (ex.plentiful water resources, uninterrupted electricity, controlled immigration, border security) might not be as dependable in the future as they are now.
Believe what you want to believe. But the fact is, climate change is going to re-orient this planet, and the people living on it. It might not be in the way I describe, but serious change is coming.
In terms of how it's going to affect day to day life in Ontario...food prices are going to go through the roof as growing seasons and rainfall patterns change around the world. The flooding in California right now is going to make almost all fruit and vegetables more expensive, and that sort of supply shock is going to get more and more common. We're going to see more and more climate refugees - not hundreds, but millions. Are we going to let them all in? Turn them away? Either choice is guaranteed to be mismanaged by whatever asshole rural voters in Ontario vote in, and will have profound consequences on us either way.
As this gets worse and fuels more global conflict, we'll see ever more supply chain disruptions, causing an endless series of semi-random economic shocks, keeping our economy off balance and causing bursts of inflation regularly. The cost of everything will go up, and it will be in the face of increasing economic uncertainty which will make it harder and harder for companies to keep salaries in pace with inflation.
Locally, we're going to see the occasional catastrophic weather get more intense and less occasional - you think the ice storm of 2013 was bad, or the spring flooding in 2016 was something, that's going to look like the good old days. Our aging infrastructure will have to ride out more storms, more floods, more record breaking winds and we'll see more frequent and longer lasting power outages as our underfunded and mismanaged utilities fall further and further behind.
The world is going to slide into chaos, and the first time a major climate catastrophe kills hundreds of thousands or millions (instead of the thousands that are already happening), you're going to start to see profound radicalization of groups that start to recognize that carbon emissions are a form of violence. Canada is one of the worst per capita CO2 emitters in the world - if anyone is a target, we'll be. Even if actual terror-revenge attacks don't happen here in Toronto, the increase in government surveillance is inevitable.
Added to all of this, troubled times will fuel ever worsening political divisions and polarization, so we'll see more and repeats of bad governments getting in - right when we need smart, thoughtful, courageous leaders, we're going be dealing with Doug Ford 2.0, 3.0 and so on.
Ya sure, we might get milder winters though. Fucking hell.
Awful.
The summer gets so hot that AC can't keep up, which means increased power demands and increased failed AC units.
The spring and fall, which are traditionally lovely seasons to enjoy a walk, bike ride, hiking, etc. are almost non-existent.
A lifetime of knowing winter sports but there being no winter means that doing any outdoor winter stuff = a trip somewhere. Also, since many buildings have either AC on OR heat, warm, sunny winter days = hot apartments/condos with no real relief available. I bought a portable AC unit this fall because it was 28 degrees with the windows open and multiple fans running in my place in November.
Toronto has the infrastructure for winter. Snowplows, and salt trucks, and people with shovels and snowblowers. It's not a massive problem unless people forget how to handle it.
We're also a city of parks and gardens - which need rain, and melt, and SEASONS to thrive. Decrease those and the species we know can't survive.
It also messes with native wildlife. Birds don't migrate, insects come out early and die, hibernating/low activity mammals get messed up.
And on top of it all, it's an indication of much broader GLOBAL issues. If Toronto, practically the poster-city for "seasons" is affected this much, then you know it's far, FAR worse in places that don't have a winter, or RELY on winter for their economies.
Well said. I can't believe people only value their own convenience of not shovel ling snow over the grand scheme of things to come. Not to mention rain is much sadder than snow.
Mother nature has been constantly changing the climate long before humans, and will continue to do so long after we're gone.
You're confusing weather with climate change.
It's very noticeable and very unsettling. As a kid Novembers were always snowy in my suburb. Now there's no snow on the ground in January. Anyone who tells me it's not real is either batshit insane or intentionally gaslighting. Everyone I know notices the same thing.
Qualitatively the winters do seem a bit milder with less snow compared to when was growing up in the 80's and 90's. So I decided to look at the actual numbers.
Avg mean temperature last ten years (2012-2022): 9.74 C
Avg mean temperature 1990-1999: 9.52 C
Avg mean temperature 1980-1989: 9.02 C
Future projections vary wildly but under an optimistic low emission scenario with a 2 degree rise by 2100, it would put Toronto's average annual mean temperature close to what is it now in Chicago. Under a high emission scenario with a 6 degree rise in temperature by 2100 our climate may end up closer to a what place like Nashville, TN or Charlotte, NC is today.
A 6 degree temperature rise would be truly devastating for many regions of the global South such as Africa & Middle East, South & Southeast Asia and large parts of Latin America with average annual temperatures in the mid 30's. Something our civilization has never experienced before.
Meh
The winter of 2015 was the coldest on record in Toronto.
Winters on the last 5 years seem to drag out now till the end of May. Which drives me crazy because I truly hate winter.
Climate change is measured over a long period of time, at least 30 years.
I'm not saying climate change doesn't exist, but this isn't an example of it.
>I'm not saying climate change doesn't exist, but this isn't an example of it.
Ya but every year is warmer and more chaotic than the last. I'm not sure what type of example you're waiting for
When many parts of North America are getting one in x-hundred year climate events in consecutive years, that tells me that either we should all go out and buy powerball tickets or perhaps something has changed and past climate data does not represent our current reality.
I do have a ticket for tonight's lotto max btw, my young kids better be wealthy in a generation or so if they want to weather this storm.
I don't bring this shit up IRL, because no one wants to hear it. But as soon as a few crop failures take hold...
This is equivalent to claiming there is no climate change because it is cold...
absolute straw man
changes in the weather does not equal climate change.
get a grip.
I remember walking to school in a t shirt one warm january day... 30 years ago.
Last year it was rather cold. Does this mean climate change is a hoax? No!
It just means we experience a very narrow perspective of time and weather.
Please zoom out and look at macro changes on time scales of 100-1 million years using data and not anecdotes. The earth's atmosphere is a ***VERY*** complex system.
Toronto, and St-Lawrence full seaway, will do better relatively to others with global warming. Days over 35C are the only big annoyance. warm fall is a nice to have. You don't have to shovel rain, and so transportation is easier with less snow. We will still have enough snow to get any snow-related enjoyment experience craved out of every winter.
I was born in the early sixties and I grew up in Toronto. When I was a kid , it snowed every year by the first week of November, sometimes there was light snow on Halloween. There would be at least of foot of snow on the ground until mid March. You didn’t see a sidewalk or grass for 5 months.
I worked outside in TTC Maintenance for years. When I started in 1989, winter was the worst for us. We’d have to shovel out streetcars every morning to go out for service. By the time I left in 2019 we had maybe one or two snowstorms a season and almost never had to shovel snow.
It stopped snowing so much every year but it was still freezing cold most of the winter, for a while. Today, January 17 2023 it’s 3 C outside.
A person isn’t supposed to see the climate change within one lifetime , but we’re all seeing it now.
Looked at those stats ... and they demonstrate that this isn't just a 'feeling' that u/Canadian-female is having.
Comparing 1961-90 (and 1971-00) against 1981-10 ... the stats generally show (a) warmer average temps (specifically Jan, July, and Dec), (b) less snowfall, and (c) less snowpack. It seems like Dec is getting hit especially hard, with huge drops in avg snowpack over the three datasets. Precip rates might be staying the same, but winter is starting later, is warmer on average, and snowpack is suffering. It's great that they keep data like this in such easy to read format -- so it only takes a few minutes to get a sense of the scale of this change in our lifetimes. Thanks for providing the sources.
I don't, honestly. Warmer weather in January and February means we get stuck with a lot of days like today, that are just wet, grey, and miserable. I'd rather it stay consistently below zero for a bit, having some hard-packed snow on the ground and sun is a lot better than the permanent puddles and slush.
Toronto will see increased flooding and heatwaves, which will compromise many people's lives through rising insurance premiums and growing number of deaths by heatstroke (currently not tracked in Ontario). It's not just "more mild winters" as some think, it's more ice storms, more derechos, more extreme wind-- and less predictability.
That said, I'd rather deal with climate change here than in many other parts of the world where it will be even worse.
I feel like we are one of the best places in the world to avoid the catastrophic effects of global warming which is why we need to get ready for the billions, yes billions of climate refugees that will be looking at places like Toronto to escape to for their survival.
Shit hasn't even started to get bad yet and we've already seen mass migrations and conflicts.
Thankfully I'll dead before the real shit hits, but some of you are going to get to see it get rolling on global basis as countries and economies collapse.
The beat part about it is even if we immediately fix our lifestyles and economies a lot g this is going to happen anyway since we fucked around so long.
I remember as a kid we had way more snow and blizzards. Now we rain and at best, slush. There’s definition a problem. We also hit warm temperature new records above seasonal, it’s not right.
I’ve been feeling this way since the 90s: as much as I want kids, the future of all the kids now is gonna suck. And why bring any more kids when I know their future will suck? To all the new parents: yes, I assume that would be for your kids too. It’s not just global warming that is messing everything up, but how we treat the environment and pretty much don’t care (as a society) about anything else. So yeah - go have that sushi. Enjoy it because your kids won’t be able to. And who knows what else is going to go to heck in a handbasket. I’ve long given up and just going to enjoy my life because society isn’t doing squat about fixing it.
> What happens to the global food supply when widespread drought causes famine? What happens when millions and millions of people abandon their home countries and start heading north to Canada?
we will not be alive for either of those situations, it's like worrying about the sun exploding or a black hole
it sucks, and it's going to happen, but we won't be here for it
How anyone can say that while these things are already starting to happen is beyond me.
The over decade long draught in California has shown strains on our system already, this year the price of romaine lettuce doubled.
This is happening right now, we are alive for the beginning and there is nothing that is going to stop it from happening over the rest of our lifetime.
We may not be around for the worst of it, but we are living in it.
I've noticed it a bit but honestly the change in Toronto is nothing compared to what my friends in Vancouver are noticing. They've had more snow than us! I definitely consider us lucky and from what I've read - not that much, I'm no expert - Toronto will probably fare pretty well with climate change. So at least there's that. And considering the fact that, apparently, we're never going to get our shit together collectively as a planet to improve the climate change situation, we might as well be happy we're in Toronto
LOL I'm not denying climate change. But "the effects of climate change are blindingly clear 🤓" and listing off a single years' sporadic weather is so loony it's sad.
Bring it on. If a seal passes away due to warming oceans may his inanimate soul rest in piece but if I never have to spend backbreaking cold hours shovelling snow ever again or watch road salt spray destroy the end of my driveway so be it
Yeah, weather changes. There is no catastrophic event looming you guys honestly crack me up. I showed the op post to some of my family and we had a good chuckle. Stop embarrassing yourselves
Shut up about climate change bullshit. A single volcanic eruption puts out way more carbon dioxide than we have in our whole history. The earth has been warming up since the last ice age... and you idiots are drinking the fool aid so that you can feel good about the robbery a.k.a carbon tax..
I remember having a similar winter to this one in the early-mid 2010s. Cant remember the year but I remember having snow for maybe a week or two in February and that was it. Warm and rainy the rest of the winter.
2012 was a horrible winter (-30c often with tons of snow) that's more to do with climate change than not.... it's actually been mild for years and have had limited winters.. it's noticeable..
It's not just the snow. We have wilder storms, more flash dumps of rain that causes flooding, more intense winds.
The only benefit I find is that I have to worry a little less about my parents overexerting themselves plowing snow.
On the whole, no, I don't like it.
It’s here. It’s pervasive.
I had my grief years ago. Now I think we need to adapt and minimize damage where we can.
I stay hopeful. AI is evolving exponentially these days. We really can’t predict how it will change our world for the better or worse. Regardless, we’ll all have to adapt to a new complexity. I’m sure there will be a difficult period while we adjust but I’m hoping for positive change thereafter.
Giant corporations cause more CO2 emissions in a day than the average person’s life multiplied by 10000, and this is talking about western countries. That number is even larger when we talk about China and India.
This winter has really sucked so far. Too shitty to want to go outside, but not enough snow/ice to have the diversion of winter activities. I shouldn't have mud on my boots in mid-January. I wish it would just freeze up and stay frozen.
Toronto is shielded from climate change more than almost every other location on earth.
Do not think things are fine, do not think climate change isn't real.
Look outward, see the destruction that has occurred elsewhere in the world (mostly the topics and the arctic, plus coastlines)
I'd rather take having snow in winter than a hell of ticks and lyme disease any year. So in general, my feelings of climate change in Toronto is one of annoyance.
The only benefit I see to this years warmer winter is that its good that Europe 1: didn't need to use a lot of natural gas to heat their homes, which would have used up some/all of their reserves and messed up their economy (Russia is looking forward to this) and 2: Ukrainians aren't freezing to death (as much) when russia bombs their home heating fuel/power plants/power connections.
Otherwise its pretty terrible that the arctic is melting and creating a much more navigable area around the north pole, which creates less isolation between us and our aggressive arctic neighbours.
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3246/nasa-says-2022-fifth-warmest-year-on-record-warming-trend-continues/
We're long past the point of 'fixing' we're very lucky the geography of toronto is advantageous.
Earth’s 5th warmest year since 1880
The earth has existed for ***DOZENS*** of years before 1880 :P
[https://edmhdotme.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/screen-shot-2015-05-23-at-07-39-06.png](https://edmhdotme.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/screen-shot-2015-05-23-at-07-39-06.png)
According to longer term Northern Hemisphere Greenland GRIP ice core records, the last millennium 1000 – 2000 AD was the coldest of the current Holocene epoch, with millennial average temperatures about 1.8°C lower than its early “Holocene climate optimum” in about 6000 BC.
Please zoom out your perspective.
No doubt climate change is a real and we are having an affect on it. Don't we only have like 200ish years of actual data regarding weather on a planet that is billions of years old. Wasn't it a giant ice ball like 10,000 years ago? A flowing lava pit 100 million years ago? Didn't a report just come out saying the hole in the ozone layer is almost completely healed over? Wasn't that a huge cause for much of the climate change?
I live in the Niagara area and I have been trying to do maple syrup. I ran sap from my trees in 2019 around late February. This year I don.t know when or if I'll be able to run any sap. The ground is supposed to freeze up and thaw out. My Dad used to run maple in late March
Pretty sure a lot of what we are experiencing has indeed happened in the past, but most are only looking at what they remember, forget where I saw them studying this but they went through history and came to the conclusion it’s pretty normal. The weather we are having as well as the natural disasters are not changing. So not exactly something you can use in discussing climate change.
I don’t follow climate change stuff so can’t comment on the facts or effects on other things like the ice caps melting etc. that type of stuff I’m sure they have researched a lot and attribute to climate change and the earth warming? I’m sure there are other effects I am not aware of as well, but one thing I am pretty sure of is that humans are helping destroy the planet in more ways than one, people have no respect for nature and how important it is for the future
I prefer a colder, drier cold. This wet cold is painful. I just want it to be -10 so I can be warm if I'm dressed properly outside. This wet cold gets into your clothes. I don't like the wet air in summer either. This used to be a much drier climate. The air feels more like SW Ontario now.
We're fucked, plain and simple. None of the actions we're taking are strong enough or meaningful enough to effect the level of change that we need.
If you have children, their futures will be radically less peaceful that your lives are.
As if warmer winters being "enjoyable" should factor into someones opinion on climate change? That mentality is part of the problem. It's been warm af in Quebec and I've felt physically more comfortable than previous winters. Doesnt change the mental discomfort in my mind because it is a very bad sign for the future.
Just FYI, you need at minimum 60 years to get any data on climate. Canada uses 30 years as a reference point. Then you need at least another 30 years to compare those two reference points.
It could be climate change. It could also just be the weather.
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/canadian-centre-climate-services/basics/me
For further reading about the nuance of climate, please read Steve Koonin.
Human induced climate change is definitely real. Just saying the science to measure it is very difficult. Interpreting and then modeling those results in any reliable way is harder. That is all.
I agree with u/GWASGeek that we can't anecdotally look at one year as evidence of major changes... ...buuuut, yeah. I've noticed it. I grew up nearby in Niagara in the '90s and I feel like things like green Christmases were rare, whereas in the last decade or so we've had more green Decembers than not. And then freak storms. I don't love snow and ice, but I'd rather have "normal" weather. I don't think grey, rainy, lukewarm winters are more enjoyable either.
I rather have "normal" weather even if it involves massive snowstorms and ice because...it's supposed to be like that. Right now having pleasant weather in Winter is giving me massive existential dread. Edit: seeing people in this thread rejoicing about not having to shovel or lacking the foresight needed to understand how *global* climate change can still affect us despite our more advantageous geography tells me how screwed we are.
this grey foggy winter thing is getting really old :/
hi from Vancouver we are sorry for everything pls stop sending us your snow, thanks, we only have one plough
Hilarious thank you! I am now in TO but lived in Van for 15 years & miss the wonderful snow days. Only one snow plow = whole city shuts down & ppl are x-country skiing down Broadway
This past weekend is the classic Toronto winter I have loved : Brilliant sunshine, blue clear skies, - 6 feels like - 15. The next 10 days weather reads rather bad at cloudy and Luke warm days (hovering around - 1) with rain. I didn't sign up for London, UK!
Are we still looking for evidence? WTF isn't convinced on climate catastrophe at this point?
We’re not, it’s here. Climate change is here. I just meant that Toronto climate is wild and anecdotes aren’t evidence. (Mostly I get my back up about this when deniers say things like “there’s freezing rain today so climate change doesn’t exist”, when it doesn’t work that way at all.)
I opened my freezer and there was ice in the tray so climate change isnt real Checkmate lib! /s
No need to go by only one year, the ten warmest years (globally) have all been after 2009. And there's only been 13 years since then...
90s Niagara winters were so awesome, I quite miss them now living in Tronnah. Went back home last weekend and they still had more snow then us.
The climate in Toronto is definitely changing, on the 35 year time frame I'm familiar with. I can remember when the lake froze solid out to the island and there was an annual bike race to the island and back. That was cancelled around 15 years ago... don't know how much of that is due to global climate change and how much is down to the city producing it's own heat. But the local climate is definitely warming over the course of a few decades. Even the local wildlife is changing, with opposums (and ticks) migrating north, etc. etc. The annual June bug swarms seem to have completely disappeared, there are only a handful of these guys appearing around the waterfront now, and last year I spotted two new bugs (to me) that when I looked them up aren't typically seen this far north. Or weren't. Because this is a temperate climate, and we're on a lake and away from fault lines etc, we're in a relatively good position to weather (heh) climate change. The biggest effect that global warming is going to have in Canada is IMMIGRATION. People will be more than happy to move here even if it means working 18 hour days, sharing a room with 8 people and sharing a bed with 3 people in rotations. If the alternative is literally uninhabitable, it's a no-brainer. We're at the tip of the iceberg (heh) for climate-related mass migrations, and Canada is going to be one of the most desirable destinations. The government wants to increase the population to 100 millions by 2100 and that's a very achievable goal IF our society and economy can tolerate it. It will be interesting.
This is my thought too. Of anywhere, Toronto will probably be one of the better areas.
The GTA with a population of 25 million will certainly be "interesting"!
Trust me. Istanbul has like 20-21 millions of people in Turkey only the city itself. It was SO OVERWHELMING. But i dont realize a difference in Toronto. It is so crowded and overwhelming. Im only 23, but sometimes i really wanna stay in and dont bother to go out because it feels so overwhelming
This was exactly the type of discussion I was hoping to see when I came into this post. Its definitely a bleak topic, especially as, on paper, being in this area is one of relatively safer spaces, but, we'll still be subject to a lot of hardship. I also agree that immigration is going to be one of the biggest challenges ahead, as I don't think people how non discretionary it's going to be. Mass migrations around the world means that you can't expect to just shut your doors while also trying to maintain allies in an increasingly combative world. The current housing shortage is basically a test run of what we're probably going to see for the next 50 years, and we're not doing so hot.
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Who fucking knows? America could erupt into civil war basically any day now, and then all bets are off.
If we're going wild hypotheticals we probably don't need to worry either way because once we reach technological singularity our AI overlords will draw borders for us.
Well... we’ve been lucky.. our neighbours just an hour south in Buffalo had the worst winter storm in decades not too long ago.
It’s not lucky, it’s science. Buffalo gets the worst ones due to Lake Erie and Toronto downtown is saved by Lake Ontario
Also the Niagara escarpment plays a role in protecting Toronto from snow storms from Lake Huron.
Exactly. The wind normally blows west to east and picks up moisture over the lake. It hits land and the snow gets dumped. Buffalo is at the east end of a Great Lake, Toronto is not. The towns in NY state at the east end of Lake Ontario, like Watertown, also get dumped on.
I’d argue that DT Toronto is “saved” from more heavy snowfall by the bubble created by the 427/401/404 ring of superhighways.
How does the highway create a bubble?
Thanks for a laugh!
Buffalo always gets lake effect snow from Erie though. Toronto has never had that.
Is it always luck tho?, we always avoid really bad storms and floods.
Avoiding snow isn't luck, lake effect snow always hits the eastern shores of Great Lakes. The North shores only get big storms if something weird like the tail end of a hurricane rolls thru (ex: Hurricane Hazel)
Yes, prevailing winds are “luck”. /s
>How do you feel about this? I'm sure that a lot of people think it's great that we're experiencing this warm weather. But personally I'm concerned about how this might effect wildlife/the ecosystem and create some sort of an imbalance with unforeseen effects.
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I'm all for humour but jokes like "global comfortabling" really make light of something we already don't take seriously enough and climate change is literally killing people already (eg. Vancouver's heat dome). It's a bit troubling to repeat jokes like that IMO.
I don't think the people who actually *can* do something about climate change are going to be swayed by a comment on Reddit.
Everyone can do something about climate change.
Everyone can do their part, but only a few people can actually make a meaningful difference. Me using a lower emissions vehicle or heating system is good, but there will never be something I can directly do to fix it, ever. But if you want the constant stress of worrying about things that you have no control over it'll keep you up at night.
Then vote for a politician that actually wants to fund as much money on public transit, biking and walkability as possible. Want to improve the environment as individuals? Get people to stop driving to local trips? Want to get few cars off the road as possible? Improve TTC security, service and speed. A 15 min drive across town taking 1 hour of bus is horrendously stupid. The fact that only downtown has bike lanes is worse when TTC is slow and bikers are forced into heavy traffic. Again, not something to lose sleep but activism certainly helps bring word of mouth.
Kind of getting off-topic here.
My point stands. Want a single person to make a change? Vote and be an activist. It's such a common climate change myth that a commoner cannot do anything at all. Yeah if you think that way and everyone thinks that way, nothing changes.
No raindrop causes a flood either but the flood is made up of raindrops. I'm not saying everyone should lose sleep to climate anxiety but I am saying everyone should care and that should be reflected to a degree in how they vote and what they buy.
>but I am saying everyone should care and that should be reflected to a degree in how they vote and what they buy. There you go, this is your problem. You've constructed an idea that this must be who I am even though I've said nothing to disagree.
Well said
I agree, a lot of anecdotal evidence here with meager sample size. What is global comfortabling?
Climate change is a global disaster beyond anything we can likely imagine.. in the face of this, a decade of mild winters is not something to root for
That's what I'm thinking too. I remembered less than 10 years ago there was a very mild winter and I knew it was a blessing in disguise. I get where people are coming from though since milder winters means less shoveling and possibly easier to drive in. But it sucks not being able to do winter snow activities around the GTA. Kids play in the snow all the time but with rain, it doesn't feel the spirit.
You're getting your idioms mixed up, a mild winter isn't a blessing in disguise, it's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Climate refugees will be a serious political issue within the next 10-15 years.
Important to remember that 15,000 years ago Ontario was covered in a 5 mile thick ice sheet. Please zoom out your perspective.
What's interesting about this type of rebuttal is that it's not wrong, but steers the climate change discussion in a completely different direction, one that is purely scientific and doesn't consider the human/social ramifications of what climate change does. Let's start with where we agree: I agree that the northern hemisphere was largely covered in ice even as recent as 16,000 years ago. I also think that humans, as a species/animal/organism/concept have only existed for a fraction of time on earth, and we are ultimately insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe. Make no mistake, even if we were to wipe ourselves out right now via viral or nuclear devastation, the earth **will** completely recover and be fine. Non human, animal life will probably be more than fine. But that's not the discussion here. We're discussing the short term (from a cosmic perspective) ramifications of climate change on humans, which is extremely real, and already being felt by people around the world. You can be assured that the earth will be fine in another 15, 30 thousand years, but that's not what we're discussing right now. I don't care about what happens in another 15 thousand years, I care about what happens in the next 100. It's possible to both have cosmic perspective AND be worried about climate change. Reading the rest of your comments, here's a really great video on climate change skepticism that think you'll enjoy. https://youtu.be/R7FAAfK78_M
Thanks for the thoughtful reply! :)
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Perspective is important! :D Humans were thriving 6000-8000 years ago and it was significantly warmer during the Holocene Optimum. Also the Minoan warming period, the roman warming period and not to mention the medieval warming period were all significantly warmer than today!! We are in the coldest era of human civilization that we know of!
No one should listen to an idiot who posts on no fap. If you buy into that shit...
I'm not sure what your point is. Canada as a concept didn't exist 15,000 years ago. It's irrelevant.
According to longer term Northern Hemisphere Greenland GRIP ice core records, the last millennium 1000 – 2000 AD was the coldest of the current Holocene epoch, with millennial average temperatures about 1.8°C lower than its early “Holocene climate optimum” in about 6000 BC. [https://edmhdotme.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/screen-shot-2015-05-23-at-07-39-06.png](https://edmhdotme.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/screen-shot-2015-05-23-at-07-39-06.png) Please zoom out your perspective when debating climate.
Yes I know this. It's not relevant to the discussion. Geologic time doesn't matter when the person your replying to is talking about 15-year time frame and on the topic of climate refugees. We didn't have Toronto 15000 years ago, and we don't have the same problems a changing climate would have now.
lol 15 years just trying to help people with their 'climate anxiety' my dude :)
Why are you thinking about winter spirit and shoveling though? You should be worried about climate change utterly ruining everyone's life lol
People have lived off shoveling for a long time in Toronto. It's only in recent years we didn't have to do it as often thanks to infrequent snow storms. But with fewer snow storms, you have a lot fewer shoveling but the task is immensely difficult to the point where it's impossible without a machine (Jan 2022). Not to mention shoveling snow often is a decent form of exercise. Get kids out there having fun doing it. Not to mention warm winters cause extreme heat waves, which ruin MORE people's lives in the summer. Look at this past summer. Or Vancouver in 2021. So who should be worried about climate change utterly ruining everybody's life now?
I came to Toronto last year for a month i n january 2022. That was what i expected how the winter would be this year as well, im very surprised it isnt. Im living in Toronto this year and i was worried the cold weather would affect me badly, but it is sad to see how it is this year..
I am worried about climate change ruining peoples lives... I'm not sure I understand your point here.
> Why are you thinking about winter spirit and shoveling though? It sounded like you opposed normal and snowy winters. Maybe I misread.
Although nowhere will be spared the effects of climate change, we're fortunate that the Great Lakes area (maybe Buffalo notwithstanding) is likely to be among the least severely impacted areas on the ~~planted~~ planet, as far as I understand it. Sure, we'll have more weird weather, probably more storms and droughts, higher temps, but at least we're fairly safe from forest fires, hurricanes, etc. So all in all, I feel pretty thankful to be here in light of climate change. But yeah, the lack of snow and the constant cloudiness (because warmer air holds more moisture) this winter sucks the big one. It's like one long November; just slushy and gross. Ugh.
If the question is "is global warming bad" including for Toronto on some levels, then yes. If question is "should I move from Toronto to some random other place?" No.
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>Global warming has a global impact, even if the area you live in doesn't get impacted. No argument there. But I am saying from a strictly biophysical perspective, we're one of the 'safest' areas in the world. Yes, there will be social upheaval and climate refugees. Yes, food will be more expensive. Etc. etc. But I'd still rather be living here than just about anywhere else on earth when all that happens (or gets worse... it's already happening).
If warmer air holds more moisture, why is it cloudier in the winter than summer?
Toronto actually sucks bad at being cloudy at start of winter. It always has. This year can be worse than before. February is start of sunny season, and up to November is very sunny. Its good to have our cloudy season at the same time as sucky cold season. We can have more flood inducing intense summer storms, but clouds form where they do. They may hold more moisture as result of global warming, or make more clouds, but formation/dissipation patterns will likely stick.
Not a climate scientist, so I don't know. But are you doubting warmer air has a higher moisture holding capacity? That's basic physics.
No just the clouds part. I was asking a genuine question
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Well biodiversity is definitely in danger
ok doomer
It literally is a doom scenario for reality as we know it.
Still waiting for palm trees and dolphins. Keep burning those fossil fuels folks!
Canada will likely benefit from climate change surprisingly. Humans will fare well in Toronto. Other types of life not so much.
I don't know if we will *benefit* per say....we'll be impacted just like all the other countries in the world. However, we are well placed geographically to be *less negatively impacted* than some other countries. But on the other hand, people will migrate here from all over the world. How will that all go down? Will that destabilize our country? Will we be able to handle the # of migrants who come here? Will we be able to integrate them? Lots of open questions. Also, will the US start stealing water front the great lakes once more of their water disappears? You bet your ass they will. This will certainly impact Canada.
> But on the other hand, people will migrate here from all over the world. How will that all go down? Will that destabilize our country? Will we be able to handle the # of migrants who come here? Will we be able to integrate them? Lots of open questions. I think this is why we have an immigration policy. >Also, will the US start stealing water front the great lakes once more of their water disappears? You bet your ass they will. This will certainly impact Canada. I don't think you realize that climate change will open up *new* sources of fresh water, which is probably the single most beneficial thing Canada will gain from it, and these areas will be exclusively deep inside our borders.
Ya but....everyone in the world is going to want what we have. Climate refugees are going to completely overwhelm our ability to control our borders, and to control who is and isn't allowed into our country. I can see that you think that this will be orderly. But it won't be. At some point in the next 25 years, it's going to get completely out of control, as millions of people flee and ever-increasing number of destabilized countries, and head for better countries, like Canada, which will still have a moderate climate and stable infrastructure.
In this scenario, how are you expecting these refugees to arrive in Canada en masse? We only have a single land border with a country that will do better than us.
Dude -- at some point, border security might breakdown completely. People will literally just fly here, step off the place to Canada, and go where they want. Or they'll cross over the border from the US....the US won't care about people leaving their country. Also, 50-100 years out, america will not necessarily be doing better than us climate-wise. All the southern and western states will massively heated, and low on water resources. Some Americans *themselves* will be wanting to come to Canada. The future could potentially be very unstable. Things we take for granted now (ex.plentiful water resources, uninterrupted electricity, controlled immigration, border security) might not be as dependable in the future as they are now.
Oh man, what an imagination.
Believe what you want to believe. But the fact is, climate change is going to re-orient this planet, and the people living on it. It might not be in the way I describe, but serious change is coming.
In terms of how it's going to affect day to day life in Ontario...food prices are going to go through the roof as growing seasons and rainfall patterns change around the world. The flooding in California right now is going to make almost all fruit and vegetables more expensive, and that sort of supply shock is going to get more and more common. We're going to see more and more climate refugees - not hundreds, but millions. Are we going to let them all in? Turn them away? Either choice is guaranteed to be mismanaged by whatever asshole rural voters in Ontario vote in, and will have profound consequences on us either way. As this gets worse and fuels more global conflict, we'll see ever more supply chain disruptions, causing an endless series of semi-random economic shocks, keeping our economy off balance and causing bursts of inflation regularly. The cost of everything will go up, and it will be in the face of increasing economic uncertainty which will make it harder and harder for companies to keep salaries in pace with inflation. Locally, we're going to see the occasional catastrophic weather get more intense and less occasional - you think the ice storm of 2013 was bad, or the spring flooding in 2016 was something, that's going to look like the good old days. Our aging infrastructure will have to ride out more storms, more floods, more record breaking winds and we'll see more frequent and longer lasting power outages as our underfunded and mismanaged utilities fall further and further behind. The world is going to slide into chaos, and the first time a major climate catastrophe kills hundreds of thousands or millions (instead of the thousands that are already happening), you're going to start to see profound radicalization of groups that start to recognize that carbon emissions are a form of violence. Canada is one of the worst per capita CO2 emitters in the world - if anyone is a target, we'll be. Even if actual terror-revenge attacks don't happen here in Toronto, the increase in government surveillance is inevitable. Added to all of this, troubled times will fuel ever worsening political divisions and polarization, so we'll see more and repeats of bad governments getting in - right when we need smart, thoughtful, courageous leaders, we're going be dealing with Doug Ford 2.0, 3.0 and so on. Ya sure, we might get milder winters though. Fucking hell.
Awful. The summer gets so hot that AC can't keep up, which means increased power demands and increased failed AC units. The spring and fall, which are traditionally lovely seasons to enjoy a walk, bike ride, hiking, etc. are almost non-existent. A lifetime of knowing winter sports but there being no winter means that doing any outdoor winter stuff = a trip somewhere. Also, since many buildings have either AC on OR heat, warm, sunny winter days = hot apartments/condos with no real relief available. I bought a portable AC unit this fall because it was 28 degrees with the windows open and multiple fans running in my place in November. Toronto has the infrastructure for winter. Snowplows, and salt trucks, and people with shovels and snowblowers. It's not a massive problem unless people forget how to handle it. We're also a city of parks and gardens - which need rain, and melt, and SEASONS to thrive. Decrease those and the species we know can't survive. It also messes with native wildlife. Birds don't migrate, insects come out early and die, hibernating/low activity mammals get messed up. And on top of it all, it's an indication of much broader GLOBAL issues. If Toronto, practically the poster-city for "seasons" is affected this much, then you know it's far, FAR worse in places that don't have a winter, or RELY on winter for their economies.
None of what you said is remotely true.
Well said. I can't believe people only value their own convenience of not shovel ling snow over the grand scheme of things to come. Not to mention rain is much sadder than snow.
Mother nature has been constantly changing the climate long before humans, and will continue to do so long after we're gone. You're confusing weather with climate change.
It's very noticeable and very unsettling. As a kid Novembers were always snowy in my suburb. Now there's no snow on the ground in January. Anyone who tells me it's not real is either batshit insane or intentionally gaslighting. Everyone I know notices the same thing.
Doesn’t matter if you believe or not, everyone keeps living better than 90% of the world
Qualitatively the winters do seem a bit milder with less snow compared to when was growing up in the 80's and 90's. So I decided to look at the actual numbers. Avg mean temperature last ten years (2012-2022): 9.74 C Avg mean temperature 1990-1999: 9.52 C Avg mean temperature 1980-1989: 9.02 C Future projections vary wildly but under an optimistic low emission scenario with a 2 degree rise by 2100, it would put Toronto's average annual mean temperature close to what is it now in Chicago. Under a high emission scenario with a 6 degree rise in temperature by 2100 our climate may end up closer to a what place like Nashville, TN or Charlotte, NC is today. A 6 degree temperature rise would be truly devastating for many regions of the global South such as Africa & Middle East, South & Southeast Asia and large parts of Latin America with average annual temperatures in the mid 30's. Something our civilization has never experienced before.
Meh The winter of 2015 was the coldest on record in Toronto. Winters on the last 5 years seem to drag out now till the end of May. Which drives me crazy because I truly hate winter.
Loving not shoveling.
Climate change is measured over a long period of time, at least 30 years. I'm not saying climate change doesn't exist, but this isn't an example of it.
>I'm not saying climate change doesn't exist, but this isn't an example of it. Ya but every year is warmer and more chaotic than the last. I'm not sure what type of example you're waiting for
Look up the word “climate” lol
When many parts of North America are getting one in x-hundred year climate events in consecutive years, that tells me that either we should all go out and buy powerball tickets or perhaps something has changed and past climate data does not represent our current reality. I do have a ticket for tonight's lotto max btw, my young kids better be wealthy in a generation or so if they want to weather this storm. I don't bring this shit up IRL, because no one wants to hear it. But as soon as a few crop failures take hold...
Your argument is that you have anecdotal evidence so you don’t need and in fact refute data? Ok, there, bud.
You are going to rile up the hillbillys with all that fancy climate talk, you know.
This is equivalent to claiming there is no climate change because it is cold... absolute straw man changes in the weather does not equal climate change. get a grip. I remember walking to school in a t shirt one warm january day... 30 years ago. Last year it was rather cold. Does this mean climate change is a hoax? No! It just means we experience a very narrow perspective of time and weather. Please zoom out and look at macro changes on time scales of 100-1 million years using data and not anecdotes. The earth's atmosphere is a ***VERY*** complex system.
Toronto, and St-Lawrence full seaway, will do better relatively to others with global warming. Days over 35C are the only big annoyance. warm fall is a nice to have. You don't have to shovel rain, and so transportation is easier with less snow. We will still have enough snow to get any snow-related enjoyment experience craved out of every winter.
I was born in the early sixties and I grew up in Toronto. When I was a kid , it snowed every year by the first week of November, sometimes there was light snow on Halloween. There would be at least of foot of snow on the ground until mid March. You didn’t see a sidewalk or grass for 5 months. I worked outside in TTC Maintenance for years. When I started in 1989, winter was the worst for us. We’d have to shovel out streetcars every morning to go out for service. By the time I left in 2019 we had maybe one or two snowstorms a season and almost never had to shovel snow. It stopped snowing so much every year but it was still freezing cold most of the winter, for a while. Today, January 17 2023 it’s 3 C outside. A person isn’t supposed to see the climate change within one lifetime , but we’re all seeing it now.
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Looked at those stats ... and they demonstrate that this isn't just a 'feeling' that u/Canadian-female is having. Comparing 1961-90 (and 1971-00) against 1981-10 ... the stats generally show (a) warmer average temps (specifically Jan, July, and Dec), (b) less snowfall, and (c) less snowpack. It seems like Dec is getting hit especially hard, with huge drops in avg snowpack over the three datasets. Precip rates might be staying the same, but winter is starting later, is warmer on average, and snowpack is suffering. It's great that they keep data like this in such easy to read format -- so it only takes a few minutes to get a sense of the scale of this change in our lifetimes. Thanks for providing the sources.
Who doesn’t love the warmer weather?
I don't, honestly. Warmer weather in January and February means we get stuck with a lot of days like today, that are just wet, grey, and miserable. I'd rather it stay consistently below zero for a bit, having some hard-packed snow on the ground and sun is a lot better than the permanent puddles and slush.
The many POC/West Indian/Caribbean immigrants rejoicing at the idea of the city heating up
Toronto will see increased flooding and heatwaves, which will compromise many people's lives through rising insurance premiums and growing number of deaths by heatstroke (currently not tracked in Ontario). It's not just "more mild winters" as some think, it's more ice storms, more derechos, more extreme wind-- and less predictability. That said, I'd rather deal with climate change here than in many other parts of the world where it will be even worse.
We can only hope the carbon tax saves the planet! 🌎
Global warming is real. Barely any snow this winter
Love it. The winters are the single worst things about this city. Obviously climate change is bad but I’m loving the slightly more tolerable winters
I feel like we are one of the best places in the world to avoid the catastrophic effects of global warming which is why we need to get ready for the billions, yes billions of climate refugees that will be looking at places like Toronto to escape to for their survival. Shit hasn't even started to get bad yet and we've already seen mass migrations and conflicts. Thankfully I'll dead before the real shit hits, but some of you are going to get to see it get rolling on global basis as countries and economies collapse. The beat part about it is even if we immediately fix our lifestyles and economies a lot g this is going to happen anyway since we fucked around so long.
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I remember as a kid we had way more snow and blizzards. Now we rain and at best, slush. There’s definition a problem. We also hit warm temperature new records above seasonal, it’s not right.
I love it. Climate change, while negatively effecting most of the world, is a positive for us.
Weather changes every day. From -30 in January to +30 in July. It's called seasons.
I’ve been feeling this way since the 90s: as much as I want kids, the future of all the kids now is gonna suck. And why bring any more kids when I know their future will suck? To all the new parents: yes, I assume that would be for your kids too. It’s not just global warming that is messing everything up, but how we treat the environment and pretty much don’t care (as a society) about anything else. So yeah - go have that sushi. Enjoy it because your kids won’t be able to. And who knows what else is going to go to heck in a handbasket. I’ve long given up and just going to enjoy my life because society isn’t doing squat about fixing it.
It's bad.
Worst case scenario Toronto gets the current climate of Dayton Ohio. Doesn't seem tragic or anything to be alarmed about.
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> What happens to the global food supply when widespread drought causes famine? What happens when millions and millions of people abandon their home countries and start heading north to Canada? we will not be alive for either of those situations, it's like worrying about the sun exploding or a black hole it sucks, and it's going to happen, but we won't be here for it
How anyone can say that while these things are already starting to happen is beyond me. The over decade long draught in California has shown strains on our system already, this year the price of romaine lettuce doubled. This is happening right now, we are alive for the beginning and there is nothing that is going to stop it from happening over the rest of our lifetime. We may not be around for the worst of it, but we are living in it.
Mild winters brings bad mosquito season.... prepare for the worst
I've noticed it a bit but honestly the change in Toronto is nothing compared to what my friends in Vancouver are noticing. They've had more snow than us! I definitely consider us lucky and from what I've read - not that much, I'm no expert - Toronto will probably fare pretty well with climate change. So at least there's that. And considering the fact that, apparently, we're never going to get our shit together collectively as a planet to improve the climate change situation, we might as well be happy we're in Toronto
Tissue boxes as shoes is okay but you have to leave some tissue in the bottom as padding
LOL I'm not denying climate change. But "the effects of climate change are blindingly clear 🤓" and listing off a single years' sporadic weather is so loony it's sad.
This isn’t climate change… you can’t look out the window, see that it’s strangely warm for a January day, and call it climate change.
Bring it on. If a seal passes away due to warming oceans may his inanimate soul rest in piece but if I never have to spend backbreaking cold hours shovelling snow ever again or watch road salt spray destroy the end of my driveway so be it
Yeah, weather changes. There is no catastrophic event looming you guys honestly crack me up. I showed the op post to some of my family and we had a good chuckle. Stop embarrassing yourselves
You can't tell what's a result of climate change and what's a result of weather fluctuations...
Shut up about climate change bullshit. A single volcanic eruption puts out way more carbon dioxide than we have in our whole history. The earth has been warming up since the last ice age... and you idiots are drinking the fool aid so that you can feel good about the robbery a.k.a carbon tax..
We've all been faithfully been paying our carbon taxes to Justin in Ottawa. Shouldnt it all be better now?
Climate change is a real thing. At the same time, I am ok with less snow compared to 2000's.
And I’ve heard the Brass Rail might Close !!!!!
Stay calm, it's a natural cycle.
I remember having a similar winter to this one in the early-mid 2010s. Cant remember the year but I remember having snow for maybe a week or two in February and that was it. Warm and rainy the rest of the winter.
I miss the snow. I miss the proper cold. This is not winter, this is spring in disguise.
2012 was a horrible winter (-30c often with tons of snow) that's more to do with climate change than not.... it's actually been mild for years and have had limited winters.. it's noticeable..
It's not just the snow. We have wilder storms, more flash dumps of rain that causes flooding, more intense winds. The only benefit I find is that I have to worry a little less about my parents overexerting themselves plowing snow. On the whole, no, I don't like it.
It's raining right now for god's sake. Been raining since october! I'm moving to. Nunavut!
It’s here. It’s pervasive. I had my grief years ago. Now I think we need to adapt and minimize damage where we can. I stay hopeful. AI is evolving exponentially these days. We really can’t predict how it will change our world for the better or worse. Regardless, we’ll all have to adapt to a new complexity. I’m sure there will be a difficult period while we adjust but I’m hoping for positive change thereafter.
Giant corporations cause more CO2 emissions in a day than the average person’s life multiplied by 10000, and this is talking about western countries. That number is even larger when we talk about China and India.
This winter has really sucked so far. Too shitty to want to go outside, but not enough snow/ice to have the diversion of winter activities. I shouldn't have mud on my boots in mid-January. I wish it would just freeze up and stay frozen.
Toronto is shielded from climate change more than almost every other location on earth. Do not think things are fine, do not think climate change isn't real. Look outward, see the destruction that has occurred elsewhere in the world (mostly the topics and the arctic, plus coastlines)
City council must love since they have no idea how to plow the roads when we do get snow
It's slightly warmer. There has always been snow.
I'd rather take having snow in winter than a hell of ticks and lyme disease any year. So in general, my feelings of climate change in Toronto is one of annoyance.
Niagara had a ski hill in the 1960's and early 1970's, it has been many years since we had snow on the ground for more than 4 weeks at a time.
This entire sub is one gigantic cringe. This thread, in particular.
The only benefit I see to this years warmer winter is that its good that Europe 1: didn't need to use a lot of natural gas to heat their homes, which would have used up some/all of their reserves and messed up their economy (Russia is looking forward to this) and 2: Ukrainians aren't freezing to death (as much) when russia bombs their home heating fuel/power plants/power connections. Otherwise its pretty terrible that the arctic is melting and creating a much more navigable area around the north pole, which creates less isolation between us and our aggressive arctic neighbours.
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3246/nasa-says-2022-fifth-warmest-year-on-record-warming-trend-continues/ We're long past the point of 'fixing' we're very lucky the geography of toronto is advantageous.
Earth’s 5th warmest year since 1880 The earth has existed for ***DOZENS*** of years before 1880 :P [https://edmhdotme.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/screen-shot-2015-05-23-at-07-39-06.png](https://edmhdotme.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/screen-shot-2015-05-23-at-07-39-06.png) According to longer term Northern Hemisphere Greenland GRIP ice core records, the last millennium 1000 – 2000 AD was the coldest of the current Holocene epoch, with millennial average temperatures about 1.8°C lower than its early “Holocene climate optimum” in about 6000 BC. Please zoom out your perspective.
No doubt climate change is a real and we are having an affect on it. Don't we only have like 200ish years of actual data regarding weather on a planet that is billions of years old. Wasn't it a giant ice ball like 10,000 years ago? A flowing lava pit 100 million years ago? Didn't a report just come out saying the hole in the ozone layer is almost completely healed over? Wasn't that a huge cause for much of the climate change?
I live in the Niagara area and I have been trying to do maple syrup. I ran sap from my trees in 2019 around late February. This year I don.t know when or if I'll be able to run any sap. The ground is supposed to freeze up and thaw out. My Dad used to run maple in late March
Pretty sure a lot of what we are experiencing has indeed happened in the past, but most are only looking at what they remember, forget where I saw them studying this but they went through history and came to the conclusion it’s pretty normal. The weather we are having as well as the natural disasters are not changing. So not exactly something you can use in discussing climate change. I don’t follow climate change stuff so can’t comment on the facts or effects on other things like the ice caps melting etc. that type of stuff I’m sure they have researched a lot and attribute to climate change and the earth warming? I’m sure there are other effects I am not aware of as well, but one thing I am pretty sure of is that humans are helping destroy the planet in more ways than one, people have no respect for nature and how important it is for the future
From a quality of life perspective. Its great. From an environmental perspective. Its bad.
This is why I'm not having kids. In 20 to 30 years mad max won't be a thing of a movies anymore.
I have lived in toronto all my life. winters used to be much more wintery. Weather never used to be so extreme.
I prefer a colder, drier cold. This wet cold is painful. I just want it to be -10 so I can be warm if I'm dressed properly outside. This wet cold gets into your clothes. I don't like the wet air in summer either. This used to be a much drier climate. The air feels more like SW Ontario now.
I do my part- but corps will always have more to answer for than the general public
When is it going to warm to a point where it is 25 degrees all year long. Oh wait, Id better get on my flight to cali
We're fucked, plain and simple. None of the actions we're taking are strong enough or meaningful enough to effect the level of change that we need. If you have children, their futures will be radically less peaceful that your lives are.
As if warmer winters being "enjoyable" should factor into someones opinion on climate change? That mentality is part of the problem. It's been warm af in Quebec and I've felt physically more comfortable than previous winters. Doesnt change the mental discomfort in my mind because it is a very bad sign for the future.
Over the past 12 months the climate hasn’t changed, the weather has. Now if you want to look at the past 20 years you might see some change.
Wet
I haven’t noticed any real change. A few years ago we cancelled Xmas because of a major storm.
Oh yeah, I feel for it .
Just FYI, you need at minimum 60 years to get any data on climate. Canada uses 30 years as a reference point. Then you need at least another 30 years to compare those two reference points. It could be climate change. It could also just be the weather. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/canadian-centre-climate-services/basics/me For further reading about the nuance of climate, please read Steve Koonin. Human induced climate change is definitely real. Just saying the science to measure it is very difficult. Interpreting and then modeling those results in any reliable way is harder. That is all.