Good morning, Mr. Chair.
I represent the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society. It's an independent society of scientists in these two disciplines.
Canada and other G8 nations, in their accountability report this year, recognized the broad scientific view that global warming should not exceed two degrees Celsius. Evidence from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and from recent research, suggests that any delays in reducing greenhouse gas emissions will bring us uncomfortably, or even dangerously, close to this two-degree increase. So our society recommends the introduction of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions rapidly, to ensure prosperity for Canadians of future generations. These measurements will complement present plans to reduce emissions by target years of 2020 and 2050, and we hope will accelerate these reductions.
Canada has opportunities at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December to coordinate these measures with other nations, so that we are not acting alone and our industries and businesses are not subject to undue and unfair competition from other nations. Many of these projects are cost efficient and will allow Canadian industry to compete globally.
We also recommend that the federal government invest funds in science-based climate information. Everyone, from farmers to fishers to the oil and gas industries, and workers in this hotel, need this type of information. Climate covers everything from the next season to the next century. What will happen to permafrost in the north? Will it affect communities and operations? Will we see more or fewer floods on the Red River? What will be the future water supply for Manitoba Hydro? Will tropical diseases spread into Canada? These are the types of issues we already know, and there are many surprises that will develop.
This type of information requires the federal government to maintain funding for the climate-, ocean-, and weather-observing network, and especially to expand it into the north where impacts will hit the hardest. It requires research and development to coordinate federal labs and universities; government climate programs and forecast models can be linked to university research. It requires communication to give public and business the information they need on climate issues. Examples of provincial programs are Ouranos in Quebec and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions in British Columbia. A federal program can unify and expand these efforts all across the country and into the north.
Previous economic crises have demonstrated that companies and nations that maintain and increase their investments in research and development during bad times emerge stronger and more competitive when the recovery begins. We recommend renewed funds to independent granting councils that can assess air, water, and climate research proposals on their scientific merit. Proposals are ranked by relevance, excellence, and innovation, to balance the curiosity and relevance. Other nations and Canada have all found this is the most effective way for scientific discovery and ways to cash in on these discoveries.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada provides such funding across all subjects. The Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences awards funding through the same processes with a specific mandate in climate and atmospheric studies, and impacts on air, ocean, water, and ice. This foundation requires renewed funding in its next budget to continue its research. Its funds for new research proposals have recently run out, and this funding ended as the International Polar Year also completed, ending many arctic programs and leaving a big hole in Canada's research, as well as the danger of a brain-drain of scientists engaged in this field. About half the funding for the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences goes directly to students and post-doctoral fellows, to support them while they are doing their research.
We recommend renewal of financial support for these types of funding agencies to engage in oceanography, meteorology, climate, and ice science. These are the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.