National Defence committee  Certainly in the north, Canada is definitely a leader in terms of developing technologies for adaptation and actual implementation. For example, the idea of using thermal siphons to artificially cool permafrost and keep it in place for contaminant facilities for a northern mining facility is world leading-edge technology.

National Defence committee  I don't think there's a lack of urgency. I think, from the scientific community, what happened in the Arctic in 2007 and 2008 caught everybody off guard. There was an absolutely precipitous decline in sea ice that simply was not forecastable. Those were conditions that the models were telling us were going to happen 20 to 30 years in the future.

National Defence committee  Well, certainly we've heard that before. I would say that certainly there is a sense of urgency, given that things do seem to be changing more quickly than we had originally forecast.

National Defence committee  The results of the work we looked at suggest that there certainly is going to be an increased demand for services that are currently being provided by the coast guard for shipping. Then it's a matter of what the rate of acceleration is of that demand.

National Defence committee  Again, that is addressed in the report. Certainly the thought is that, yes, land-based shipping through ice roads or ground transportation will likely increase in cost, whereas the viability of marine shipping from an economic perspective, as sea ice conditions are less severe, will likely become more of a favourable option.

National Defence committee  The major factors that are leading to enhanced coastal erosion are related to the decrease in sea ice extent, which then allows greater waves and more fetch to actively erode the coast. So in fact, the sea ice cover is very important for protecting the coastal lands. And as that is present for less of the year, you're getting more storms and greater waves acting upon these coastal lands, which tend to be rich in ice and permafrost, and they erode very rapidly.

National Defence committee  The wave activity associated with the shipping, such as the disturbance caused by ships going through the water, would not have a significant impact relative to waves associated with the wind and the natural erosion processes that are occurring in the north.

National Defence committee  I would say that Canada faces some of the greatest challenges, because the ice that does exist and will continue to exist, particularly in the winter, tends to exit through Canadian waters. So there will be a continued high hazard for shipping in Canadian waters relative to those off the northern coast of Eurasia.

National Defence committee  I do agree with that. The fact of the matter is that the specific focus on climate change influences everybody, and it is the responsibility of each to figure out how to--

National Defence committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I'd like to thank you for your invitation to discuss our knowledge of the impacts of climate change on Canada's Arctic and how we must adapt to this new reality of change. The short deck that I would like to present this afternoon is based on the findings and content of this major scientific national assessment that was led by NRCan and that I served as the lead scientific coordinator for.