For people living in southern Canada, climate change likely brings to mind heat waves, forest fires, increased summer temperatures, and rain storms. However, in northern regions of Canada, such as Labrador, the impacts of climate change have long been observed as a loss of cold during the winter months. Just this past winter, the Cain’s Quest snowmobile race and the Labrador Winter Games’ Labrathon, two of the province’s most popular winter events, were canceled due to mild winter weather conditions [4].
However, in more recent years, the changes in the summer have been noticeable as well. The summer of 2022 was unprecedented for hot temperatures in Newfoundland and Labrador; until this July of 2023 which saw consistent temperatures (including Humidex) of up to 40 ºC [1]. Home cooling systems were flying off the shelves all across the province as citizens struggled to beat the heat [2]. Heat waves like this are something relatively new in Newfoundland and Labrador, where most towns and cities are built for harsh winters. If the climate follows its projected course then this summer heat is something we should be prepared to deal with on a semi-regular basis, similar to the Maritime provinces further south [3].
In Labrador, cold temperatures profoundly influence everyday life. The cold plays a role in health and safety, shapes the local flora and fauna (many of which hold cultural significance), guides outdoor and cultural activities, dictates infrastructure design, and determines transportation and energy consumption patterns [5]. Given this context, it’s often more intuitive for Labrador residents to perceive the effects of climate change as a loss of cold temperatures rather than merely an increase in warmth.
Located in central Labrador, Happy Valley-Goose Bay’s average historic (1991-2020) winter temperature was -13.2 ºC. In a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5), models project winter temperatures to rise to -10.2 ºC by mid-century and -5.3 ºC by the end of the century. The table below summarizes both summer and winter temperature changes for a number of communities in Labrador, under the high emission scenario and across two future time periods.
Table 1: Projected seasonal mean temperature change for locations across Labrador, calculated using high emissions scenarios from ClimateData.ca
| Location | Mid-century (2031-2060) | Late century (2071-2100) | ||
| Summer | Winter | Summer | Winter | |
| Nain | +2.0 ºC | +3.4 ºC | +5.8 ºC | +9.6 ºC |
| Goose Bay | +1.9 ºC | +3.0 ºC | +5.7 ºC | +7.8 ºC |
| L’anse au Loup | +1.9 ºC | +2.6 ºC | +5.4 ºC | +6.2 ºC |
Climate change is having noticeable impacts on local communities, as shown by recent data, which can help to make the connection between climate change and what people are experiencing. Some of these impacts are listed below.
When data is reflective of what people are feeling and experiencing, as seen in examples listed above, they are able to relate to it, and factor this into their decision making. One way in which CLIMAtlantic is working to make these connections between data and lived experiences, is through the use of infographics. In partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Government and econext, Willa Neilsen and Sepehr Khosravi, CLIMAtlantic’s Newfoundland and Labrador Climate Services Specialists respectively, are developing a series of infographics. This series will feature five infographics and take a deeper look at localized climate projections, available on ClimateData.ca, for increasing temperatures, precipitation, and storms, as well as rising sea levels, and our changing ocean. These variables were strategically picked to ensure the infographics cover all regions of Newfoundland and Labrador and their unique challenges due to climate change. Keep up with CLIMAtlantic online to see when these infographics are launched!
[3]https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/joel-finnis-hot-weather-nl-1.6912097
[4]https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/ipcc-climate-change-report-nl-1.6786927
[5] https://climatedata.ca/variable/ [6]https://www.turnbackthetide.ca/about-climate-change-and-energy-efficiency/impacts-of-climate-change.shtml