Climate Telling

  • Home
  • About
    • About this Site
    • Health Canada Climate Change Program
    • Want to Apply?
  • Projects
    • Topic Introductions
      • Food Security
      • Land Erosion and Land Use
      • Knowledge Sharing – Education/Awareness/Promotion
      • Traditional Medicine
      • Ice Monitoring
      • Water Quality
    • By Topic
      • Food Security
      • Ice Monitoring
      • Knowledge Sharing
      • Land Erosion and Land Use
      • Water Quality
      • Water Safety
    • By Year
      • 2010-2011
      • 2009-2010
      • 2008-2009
  • Videos
    • About IsumaTV
    • Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change
    • Inuit Women’s Perspective on Climate Change
    • Siila Watt-Cloutier Keynote
    • Nisga’a Women Remember
    • Our Changing Homelands, Our Changing Lives
    • Teslin’s Voice
  • Workshops
    • Upcoming Events
    • IPY 2012
    • Climate Change and Health Pan Arctic Results Workshop
    • Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing Workshops
  • Blog
  • Acknowledgements
  • Contact
  • Facebook Connect

Land Erosion and Land Use



“Land is therapeutic as it is intertwined socially, economically, spiritually, and biologically to human health”

– (Gesler 1992; Gesler 1993; Williams 1998)

Human life would not be sustainable without fertile lands producing the necessary foods we eat and hosting the organic and inorganic materials used for shelter, tools, and medicines. Canada’s total area is 9,984,670 km2 where 9,093,507 km2 or about 91% of it is land and 8% is freshwater (Natural Resources Canada, 2005). It is used for agricultural, hunting and gathering, travel routes, tourism, resource extractions, and leisure. Land is therapeutic as it is intertwined socially, economically, spiritually, and biologically to human health (Gesler 1992; Gesler 1993; Williams 1998).

 

 Figure 1. Canadian Cryosphere Information Network. Susceptibility of permafrost regions to warming temperatures.

 

Scientists are engaged in research to further our scientific understanding of the impacts that climate-induced erosion has on land and its uses. Natural Resources Canada estimates that the continuous rise in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, due to human sources, may increase the temperature by several degrees over much of the Arctic. Permafrost regions can be highly, moderately, or lowly susceptible to thawing within a 1-2 degree temperature increase (see Figure 1). Climate Change impacts on permafrost regions are being monitored as many northern First Nations and Inuit communities reside on these sites. Land areas that are unstable upon thaw (land erosion, slope failure) pose a concern as they may have safety implications for existing homes and infrastructure. Understanding the changing landscape is also important for communities as they rely on the land to safely hunt, gather country foods, travel to see loved ones, and for healing.

 

Health Canada’s Climate Change and Health Adaptation Program proudly supported two community-led projects on land erosion and land use. Northern communities recognize that these changes are having impacts on their way of life and are working towards finding means to connect the guidance of the past with the new requirements of life today. Their stories tell of ways in which traditional and scientific knowledge are collaborating to provide greater insight into climate change impacts on land use and erosion and of ways they are adapting to these changes to ensure the health and well-being of their communities.

 

References:
 
Canadian Cryosphere Information Network Permafrost Map.
http://www.socc.ca/cms/en/socc/permafrost/futurePermafrost.aspx 
 
Gesler, W. Therapeutic landscapes: Medical issues in light of the new cultural geography. Social Science & Medicine 1992; 34(7):735–746.
 
Gesler, W. Therapeutic landscapes: Theory and a case study of Epidauros, Greece. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 1993; 11:171–189.
 
Williams, A. Therapeutic Landscapes in Holistic Medicine. Social Science Medicine 1998; 46(9):1193-1203.


Recent Tweets

Events Calendar

<< Aug 2018 >>
S M T W T F S
29 30 31 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31 1

Recent Posts

  • Rising food prices in North spark protest
  • Pipeline Safety Assurances
  • Health effects of climate change in Canada’s North

Upcoming Events

  • No events

From the Galleries

science-research-camp-092 Credit: Leslie Jackson ICHR Water Project Arviat

Web Standards

HTML5

Tomorrow's web, here today.

HTML5 Information

Looking for something?
Experience the joy of sharing!
  • Home
  • Community
  • Projects
  • Blog
  • News Feed
  • Contact

Copyright © 2012 - Climate Telling - All rights reserved.

Sign in to your account

Account Login
Forgot your password?