Climate on the Edge
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
A documentary that gives scientific context to the controversy and debate on climate change. Accessible interviews with climatologists, glaciologists, astrophysicists and oceanographers, juxtaposed with stunning footage, bring understanding to the impact of the melting of the Arctic permafrost and release of greenhouses gases that affect our whole planet.
Citation
Main credits
Belhumeur, Alain (film director)
Belhumeur, Alain (screenwriter)
Belhumeur, Alain (editor of moving image work)
Michel, Eric (film producer)
Lemire, Jean (film producer)
Lemire, Jean (screenwriter)
Suzuki, David T. (narrator)
Other credits
Cinematography, Marc Gadoury, Martin Leclerc, François Laliberté; picture editing, Alain Belhumeur; original music, Hervé Postic.
Distributor subjects
No distributor subjects provided.Keywords
WEBVTT
00:00:14.208 --> 00:00:16.999
(radio): ...and a hearty good
morning, everyone!
00:00:16.999 --> 00:00:19.542
Outside dense fog. 31 degrees.
00:00:19.542 --> 00:00:22.999
Winds south-east,
13 miles an hour
00:00:22.999 --> 00:00:25.125
and barometer at 29.70
and falling very slowly...
00:00:25.125 --> 00:00:27.000
- The heat wave that has
settled over France
00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:29.792
has shattered temperature
records...
00:00:29.792 --> 00:00:33.125
(overlapping voices)
00:00:45.999 --> 00:00:49.375
- The tropical hurricane, which
has moved up the Atlantic coast
00:00:49.375 --> 00:00:51.041
during the last two days,
is expected
00:00:51.041 --> 00:00:53.500
to affect the Grand Bank area
this afternoon.
00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:55.999
Winds from the East
will reach a peak...
00:00:55.999 --> 00:00:57.999
- ... life was returning
to normal
00:00:57.999 --> 00:00:59.750
after the freezing rain
that hit...
00:00:59.750 --> 00:01:02.999
- A major snowstorm has hit
Central and Eastern U.S.,
00:01:02.999 --> 00:01:04.417
paralysing the nation\'s capital.
00:01:04.417 --> 00:01:08.291
The city was buried under more
than 30 centimetres of snow.
00:01:08.291 --> 00:01:09.999
The storm comes the day before
00:01:09.999 --> 00:01:12.083
the opening of an international
conference
00:01:12.083 --> 00:01:14.041
on the reduction
of greenhouse gases.
00:01:14.041 --> 00:01:15.999
In the opinion
of most scientists,
00:01:15.999 --> 00:01:18.625
the rapid increase
in greenhouse gas emissions
00:01:18.625 --> 00:01:20.999
is partly the cause
of the climate change
00:01:20.999 --> 00:01:25.000
we have been witnessing
all over the planet...
00:01:27.999 --> 00:01:29.999
- The natural
greenhouse effect,
00:01:29.999 --> 00:01:33.625
caused by water vapour,
carbon dioxide, and methane,
00:01:33.625 --> 00:01:34.834
is extremely beneficial:
00:01:34.834 --> 00:01:36.999
if we didn\'t have
those greenhouse gases,
00:01:36.999 --> 00:01:39.208
the mean temperature
on the planet
00:01:39.208 --> 00:01:40.999
would be minus 18 degrees.
00:01:40.999 --> 00:01:42.999
It would be absolutely
unlivable.
00:01:42.999 --> 00:01:44.875
Because of these entirely
natural compounds,
00:01:44.875 --> 00:01:48.125
the mean temperature is 15
degrees, which has facilitated
00:01:48.125 --> 00:01:50.166
the development
of our civilizations.
00:01:50.166 --> 00:01:53.999
But what concerns us is
the enhanced greenhouse effect
00:01:53.999 --> 00:01:56.999
linked to human activities.
00:02:00.999 --> 00:02:02.999
(radio): The torrential rains
have caused landslides
00:02:02.999 --> 00:02:06.583
and flooding, resulting
in nearly 50,000 deaths
00:02:06.583 --> 00:02:08.208
last week in Venezuela.
00:02:08.208 --> 00:02:11.333
Over a single week,
251 litres of water
00:02:11.333 --> 00:02:13.041
per square metre
have fallen...
00:02:13.041 --> 00:02:15.917
- Climate change by itself
has been going on
00:02:15.917 --> 00:02:17.458
since the earth began.
00:02:17.458 --> 00:02:19.208
So often, and you see
sceptics --
00:02:19.208 --> 00:02:21.208
these so called sceptic crowd
pick up on that
00:02:21.208 --> 00:02:23.999
and they say climate change
has been with us forever.
00:02:23.999 --> 00:02:25.625
It\'s true.
Climate has changed forever.
00:02:25.625 --> 00:02:27.083
The question,
the key question is not,
00:02:27.083 --> 00:02:29.999
Will climate change in the
future? Of course it will.
00:02:29.999 --> 00:02:32.583
Is what are we doing
to cause climate to change?
00:02:32.583 --> 00:02:35.999
I mean people point to glacier,
into glacier cycles.
00:02:35.999 --> 00:02:38.542
And we have a reasonably
good understanding
00:02:38.542 --> 00:02:39.999
as to why that, that occurs.
00:02:39.999 --> 00:02:43.375
But that\'s entirely irrelevant
as to wether or not
00:02:43.375 --> 00:02:44.500
we putting in greenhouse gazes
00:02:44.500 --> 00:02:48.333
is going to change the climate
in the future.
00:02:49.917 --> 00:02:53.583
(narrator): In these early days
of the 21st century,
00:02:53.583 --> 00:02:57.834
climate disturbances are
perceptible everywhere.
00:02:57.834 --> 00:03:00.667
And scientists are in agreement:
global warming
00:03:00.667 --> 00:03:02.999
isa reality.
00:03:02.999 --> 00:03:05.999
It is most evident in so-
called \"at-risk\" regions
00:03:05.999 --> 00:03:07.583
like the Canadian Arctic,
00:03:07.583 --> 00:03:11.500
where its effects can
already be observed.
00:03:12.375 --> 00:03:14.542
(radio): In Shishmaref, Alaska,
the last storm
00:03:14.542 --> 00:03:16.999
carried off 18 feet
of shoreline.
00:03:16.999 --> 00:03:20.083
The mayor has requested aid
from the state authorities
00:03:20.083 --> 00:03:22.125
to speed up the process
00:03:22.125 --> 00:03:24.999
of moving the village.
00:03:31.041 --> 00:03:35.999
- There are the three
classical hot spots
00:03:35.999 --> 00:03:38.291
of climate variability
in the world.
00:03:38.291 --> 00:03:41.500
One being the Western Arctic,
00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:44.333
that is the part of the Arctic
north of Alaska
00:03:44.333 --> 00:03:45.999
and Canada,
00:03:45.999 --> 00:03:47.834
the Mackenzie Valley area.
00:03:47.834 --> 00:03:51.291
The second is the Antarctic
Peninsula, that tip of land
00:03:51.291 --> 00:03:54.333
that sticks up towards
South America.
00:03:54.333 --> 00:03:57.125
And the third is
the Siberian Arctic,
00:03:57.125 --> 00:03:59.917
and there we have reports
00:03:59.917 --> 00:04:02.959
of permafrost melting
at unprecedented rates:
00:04:02.959 --> 00:04:07.625
up to 30 metres a year
of coastline retreat.
00:04:07.625 --> 00:04:11.750
Now that\'s enough
to send shivers
00:04:11.750 --> 00:04:13.999
up any land developer\'s spine.
00:04:13.999 --> 00:04:15.834
And it certainly is something
00:04:15.834 --> 00:04:21.709
that is going to impact
on the northern residents.
00:04:23.750 --> 00:04:26.999
(narrator): Like the inhabitants
of many other
00:04:26.999 --> 00:04:27.999
northern villages,
00:04:27.999 --> 00:04:30.333
the people of Sachs Harbour
on Banks Island
00:04:30.333 --> 00:04:34.041
are already feeling the impact
of melting permafrost.
00:04:34.041 --> 00:04:36.959
The drainage of lakes
into the sea
00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:38.999
could even deprive
the community
00:04:38.999 --> 00:04:41.500
of its source of drinking water.
00:04:41.500 --> 00:04:44.417
- When I was growing up, uh,
00:04:44.417 --> 00:04:47.041
it was quite cold
all the time.
00:04:47.041 --> 00:04:51.250
As the years go by, it started
to get noticed in the mid-70s,
00:04:51.250 --> 00:04:56.750
that it\'s gradually warming up
little by little.
00:04:57.999 --> 00:05:03.792
And by the 1990s,
we had a very warm summer,
00:05:03.792 --> 00:05:06.917
and there was some landslides
00:05:06.917 --> 00:05:10.999
and banks and stuff like that.
00:05:10.999 --> 00:05:13.875
And also there was one lake
that drained out
00:05:13.875 --> 00:05:17.125
and there\'s another one
right now
00:05:17.125 --> 00:05:19.999
in the process of very
getting close
00:05:19.999 --> 00:05:23.792
to being drained out
into the ocean there.
00:05:23.792 --> 00:05:31.000
And we\'re finding different
species of birds
00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:34.000
that we haven\'t seen
up here before.
00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:38.999
And also there is
some salmon,
00:05:38.999 --> 00:05:40.250
a few salmon
00:05:40.250 --> 00:05:43.417
that we did run across
a few years ago.
00:05:43.417 --> 00:05:45.125
(narrator): In these regions,
00:05:45.125 --> 00:05:47.375
the effect of climate change
is visible:
00:05:47.375 --> 00:05:50.875
the southern boundary of the
Arctic is moving northwards.
00:05:50.875 --> 00:05:53.792
Southern ecosystems
with new plants
00:05:53.792 --> 00:05:56.999
and animal species like fish,
birds and insects
00:05:56.999 --> 00:05:59.667
are migrating north.
00:05:59.667 --> 00:06:02.458
- When I was a teenager,
the people used to be able
00:06:02.458 --> 00:06:06.417
to predict the weather maybe
a day or two ahead of time.
00:06:06.417 --> 00:06:07.999
But now you can\'t really
00:06:07.999 --> 00:06:10.959
because it changes
so rapidly, you know.
00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:14.208
(radio): Once again,
forecasters are calling
00:06:14.208 --> 00:06:15.875
for bad weather in London.
00:06:15.875 --> 00:06:18.834
Low-pressure areas
on both sides of the Atlantic
00:06:18.834 --> 00:06:20.625
will continue to bring rain.
00:06:20.625 --> 00:06:22.709
Tomorrow evening,
a front from the west...
00:06:22.709 --> 00:06:24.542
(narrator): Long-term
weather forecasts
00:06:24.542 --> 00:06:27.291
are now part of a sophisticated
new science.
00:06:27.291 --> 00:06:30.792
To better understand
the weather of tomorrow,
00:06:30.792 --> 00:06:35.917
climatologists design
complex mathematical models.
00:06:36.500 --> 00:06:38.999
- For us, what defines
climate, in daily life,
00:06:38.999 --> 00:06:41.917
is temperature, precipitation,
and wind.
00:06:41.917 --> 00:06:44.083
So to start with,
that\'s the objective
00:06:44.083 --> 00:06:45.750
of a climate model.
00:06:45.750 --> 00:06:47.999
To be able to simulate
the movement of air,
00:06:47.999 --> 00:06:51.208
we have to separate it
into many parallelepipeds,
00:06:51.208 --> 00:06:53.500
so we set out a grid
on the planet.
00:06:53.500 --> 00:06:55.834
Then we divide up
the atmosphere
00:06:55.834 --> 00:06:57.709
into a series
of vertical layers.
00:06:57.709 --> 00:06:59.750
That gives us a parallelepiped
within which
00:06:59.750 --> 00:07:04.083
the laws of fluid mechanics that
we have set out are followed.
00:07:04.083 --> 00:07:07.834
- If you were able
to step inside
00:07:07.834 --> 00:07:10.999
the climate that we simulate,
you would feel weather
00:07:10.999 --> 00:07:13.999
that wasn\'t exactly the same
as the weather outside.
00:07:13.999 --> 00:07:16.083
But weather that is pretty
close, you know.
00:07:16.083 --> 00:07:19.709
It wouldn\'t be a world that\'s
entirely unfamiliar to you.
00:07:19.709 --> 00:07:21.917
So we\'re, we\'re really
trying to capture
00:07:21.917 --> 00:07:24.917
the short-time scale
of variability.
00:07:24.917 --> 00:07:26.291
of the system.
00:07:26.291 --> 00:07:28.667
(narrator): To ensure
that a model is reliable,
00:07:28.667 --> 00:07:32.166
annual surface temperature
variations from red to purple
00:07:32.166 --> 00:07:35.834
are simulated and
the geographical distribution
00:07:35.834 --> 00:07:39.083
of temperatures over
the seasons is monitored.
00:07:39.083 --> 00:07:41.583
When the simulation
is compared
00:07:41.583 --> 00:07:43.208
with actual measurements,
00:07:43.208 --> 00:07:46.999
the model accurately
mimics reality.
00:07:49.750 --> 00:07:52.709
- When you think about
the Arctic and climate,
00:07:52.709 --> 00:07:54.583
it\'s important
to always remember
00:07:54.583 --> 00:07:58.999
that the Arctic is part
of a larger climate system.
00:07:58.999 --> 00:08:01.500
And you really can\'t take
the two apart.
00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:05.083
And it\'s also useful
to think of the climate system
00:08:05.083 --> 00:08:06.542
as having a job to do.
00:08:06.542 --> 00:08:10.208
And that job is to deal with
the excess amount of heat
00:08:10.208 --> 00:08:13.166
that comes in, in the equatorial
and subtropical regions,
00:08:13.166 --> 00:08:16.458
and transport that heat
northwards
00:08:16.458 --> 00:08:18.792
or southwards
to the polar regions,
00:08:18.792 --> 00:08:21.458
where it can be lost
back into space.
00:08:21.458 --> 00:08:23.917
And the way that that heat
is transported
00:08:23.917 --> 00:08:26.917
is by the atmosphere
and the oceans.
00:08:26.917 --> 00:08:30.166
And let\'s say that half
of the work in that job
00:08:30.166 --> 00:08:31.999
is done by the atmosphere.
00:08:31.999 --> 00:08:36.166
And another half is done
by ocean currents.
00:08:39.500 --> 00:08:41.500
(narrator): The polar climate
is unique.
00:08:41.500 --> 00:08:44.999
It\'s where the planet\'s greatest
temperature variations occur.
00:08:44.999 --> 00:08:49.959
This phenomenon is closely
linked to a sunshine cycle
00:08:49.959 --> 00:08:51.583
in which the long nights
of winter
00:08:51.583 --> 00:08:55.667
give way, in summer,
to the midnight sun.
00:08:55.667 --> 00:08:59.875
In summer,
there is an explosion of life.
00:08:59.875 --> 00:09:02.917
The specialized wildlife
that live here
00:09:02.917 --> 00:09:04.667
have adapted
to a long period
00:09:04.667 --> 00:09:09.125
of winter ice cover and a
short open water season.
00:09:30.333 --> 00:09:35.250
Ice covers 14 million square
kilometres in winter.
00:09:35.250 --> 00:09:38.709
It\'s reduced by half in summer.
00:09:42.417 --> 00:09:44.333
However, there is
increasing evidence
00:09:44.333 --> 00:09:47.999
that the ice cover is becoming
permanently smaller.
00:09:47.999 --> 00:09:49.999
Over the past 40 years,
00:09:49.999 --> 00:09:54.375
it appears to have lost
40% of its volume.
00:10:14.750 --> 00:10:17.041
(radio): The flooding of
the Saguenay region of Quebec
00:10:17.041 --> 00:10:19.458
was the result
of excessive rainfall
00:10:19.458 --> 00:10:21.083
between July 17th and 27th.
00:10:21.083 --> 00:10:25.500
More than 2,000 mm of rain
fell during that period,
00:10:25.500 --> 00:10:27.959
double the average
for the region.
00:10:27.959 --> 00:10:29.375
Electricity and telephone
services
00:10:29.375 --> 00:10:33.375
were knocked out and hundreds
of houses were washed away
00:10:33.375 --> 00:10:34.709
by the floods.
00:10:34.709 --> 00:10:36.667
The authorities
announced today
00:10:36.667 --> 00:10:39.083
that some 16,000 people
were evacuated
00:10:39.083 --> 00:10:41.834
from their homes.
00:10:51.458 --> 00:10:54.041
- Once you look
at all the evidence,
00:10:54.041 --> 00:10:57.834
then you can see that
there is substantial warming
00:10:57.834 --> 00:11:00.917
from the ice cores,
this is from the ice cores.
00:11:00.917 --> 00:11:04.208
You can see the warming
that has been going on.
00:11:04.208 --> 00:11:07.959
This is pretty well unarguable,
I think.
00:11:47.999 --> 00:11:51.709
The ice caps, ice sheets, uh...
00:11:51.709 --> 00:11:53.458
are essentially archives
00:11:53.458 --> 00:11:56.834
of past atmospheres
and temperatures.
00:11:56.834 --> 00:11:58.500
So if you drilled down
through it,
00:11:58.500 --> 00:12:03.667
you drill through clean snow
and then last summer surface...
00:12:07.166 --> 00:12:12.500
But by hand you could go down
20 meters of that order.
00:12:23.999 --> 00:12:28.542
That is probably snow
from last year.
00:12:28.542 --> 00:12:31.999
And then you take it back
to the lab.
00:12:31.999 --> 00:12:34.458
And then you carefully
cut it,
00:12:34.458 --> 00:12:37.458
and then melt it and analyze it.
00:12:38.291 --> 00:12:41.041
Up north, you find the
dirtiest snows is in the spring.
00:12:41.041 --> 00:12:44.999
And then it cleans up a bit in
the summer, then it\'s, you know,
00:12:44.999 --> 00:12:47.792
then it starts to get
dirty in the winter
00:12:47.792 --> 00:12:49.333
then very dirty in the spring.
00:12:49.333 --> 00:12:51.375
So you get these sequences.
00:12:51.375 --> 00:12:54.125
They are almost like tree rings.
00:12:55.999 --> 00:12:58.542
In the Canadian Arctic,
00:12:58.542 --> 00:13:01.208
say in the middle of an ice cap,
00:13:01.208 --> 00:13:02.999
you drill down the bedrock,
00:13:02.999 --> 00:13:05.583
you\'d get ice-age ice
at the bottom.
00:13:05.583 --> 00:13:07.709
Ice from the last ice age
is still there.
00:13:07.709 --> 00:13:09.999
So you get a fairly good
resolution record
00:13:09.999 --> 00:13:13.542
from about 11,000 years ago
to the present.
00:13:13.542 --> 00:13:15.291
And surprisingly perhaps
00:13:15.291 --> 00:13:18.375
you find that once it comes out
of the ice age,
00:13:18.375 --> 00:13:20.291
it very rapidly got warm.
00:13:20.291 --> 00:13:22.959
Warmer then today in fact.
00:13:22.959 --> 00:13:26.792
And it\'s been persistently
cooling ever since
00:13:26.792 --> 00:13:29.291
until about 150 years ago.
00:13:29.291 --> 00:13:32.250
Then a rapid kind of warming,
00:13:32.250 --> 00:13:34.875
followed by a little bit
of a plateau
00:13:34.875 --> 00:13:36.291
without much warming at all
00:13:36.291 --> 00:13:41.709
and now since 1985, we\'ve really
gone into warm mode.
00:13:41.709 --> 00:13:43.999
And the last warming,
00:13:43.999 --> 00:13:46.375
it shows that carbon dioxide
00:13:46.375 --> 00:13:51.500
plays a good 50%
of the cause for warming.
00:13:51.500 --> 00:13:53.542
Where did that carbon dioxide
come from?
00:13:53.542 --> 00:13:57.041
It\'s got to come from
fossil fuels, obviously.
00:13:57.041 --> 00:13:59.750
(narrator): In industrialized
countries,
00:13:59.750 --> 00:14:01.208
carbon dioxide emissions
00:14:01.208 --> 00:14:04.208
from burning fossil fuels
comes equally
00:14:04.208 --> 00:14:08.041
from three sources:
industrial production,
00:14:08.041 --> 00:14:11.250
motor vehicles,
and domestic consumption.
00:14:11.250 --> 00:14:12.999
- This graph represents
00:14:12.999 --> 00:14:14.999
the increase
in carbon dioxide content
00:14:14.999 --> 00:14:19.000
from the end of the 19th century
to the end of the 21st century.
00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:24.667
Back in 1880, the content
was 300 parts per million.
00:14:24.667 --> 00:14:26.000
It began increasing
00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:28.667
in the mid-20th century
due to human activities.
00:14:28.667 --> 00:14:30.041
Today, carbon dioxide emissions
00:14:30.041 --> 00:14:33.542
represent 7 billion tonnes
per year.
00:14:35.417 --> 00:14:38.291
Under this scenario,
by the end of the 21st century,
00:14:38.291 --> 00:14:42.709
we\'ll be up to 25 billion tonnes
of carbon dioxide a year.
00:14:42.709 --> 00:14:44.999
Obviously, that\'s a
worst-case scenario
00:14:44.999 --> 00:14:47.500
and we hope it won\'t work out
that way because it makes
00:14:47.500 --> 00:14:49.999
no sense in regard to the
problem we\'re dealing with.
00:14:49.999 --> 00:14:53.999
You have to understand
that every year,
00:14:53.999 --> 00:14:55.999
the continental
and oceanic biosphere
00:14:55.999 --> 00:14:58.999
absorbs between 2 and 3
billion tonnes of carbon.
00:14:58.999 --> 00:15:02.792
So in order to stabilize
the greenhouse effect,
00:15:02.792 --> 00:15:05.500
the sources must
match the sinks.
00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:07.999
This shows that there\'s
a factor of ten
00:15:07.999 --> 00:15:10.709
between what is emitted
and what should be emitted
00:15:10.709 --> 00:15:14.500
to stabilize the level
of the greenhouse effect.
00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:17.250
(narrator): Some carbon dioxide
emissions
00:15:17.250 --> 00:15:19.999
are trapped and stored
by forests and oceans,
00:15:19.999 --> 00:15:25.125
which therefore are considered
to be \"carbon sinks\".
00:15:26.959 --> 00:15:29.500
The Beaufort Sea,
covered in ice part of the year,
00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:33.999
is bordered by the continental
shelf and the polar ice cap.
00:15:33.999 --> 00:15:36.917
It receives large quantities
of fresh water
00:15:36.917 --> 00:15:38.333
from the Mackenzie Delta.
00:15:38.333 --> 00:15:42.959
The study of carbon
dioxide fluctuations here
00:15:42.959 --> 00:15:46.834
is of particular interest
to scientists.
00:15:50.999 --> 00:15:52.417
- The CASES project is a study
00:15:52.417 --> 00:15:54.917
that stands for Canadian Arctic
Shelf Exchange Study.
00:15:54.917 --> 00:15:58.917
We\'re now in the Mackenzie Shelf
Beaufort Sea area.
00:15:58.917 --> 00:16:01.792
So we\'re interested
in understanding better
00:16:01.792 --> 00:16:03.375
the impact of our climate
00:16:03.375 --> 00:16:07.375
and mostly see the variability
and change
00:16:07.375 --> 00:16:09.166
on the exchanges of carbon
00:16:09.166 --> 00:16:11.458
from the shelf
to the deep basin
00:16:11.458 --> 00:16:13.583
and also through
the biological processes
00:16:13.583 --> 00:16:16.917
that are omnipresent in
this very complex system.
00:16:16.917 --> 00:16:19.208
So, the originality of CASES
00:16:19.208 --> 00:16:23.125
is that it\'s not
a monospecific study,
00:16:23.125 --> 00:16:25.041
it\'s a very very
multidisciplinary,
00:16:25.041 --> 00:16:27.999
multicountry study -
over 10 countries are involved
00:16:27.999 --> 00:16:32.542
and from viruses to whales,
people on this ship are watching
00:16:32.542 --> 00:16:36.333
every step of the ecosystem.
We\'ve got biologists,
00:16:36.333 --> 00:16:38.166
bio-chemists,
physical oceanographers;
00:16:38.166 --> 00:16:41.125
it\'s a very complete program
that\'s trying
00:16:41.125 --> 00:16:45.000
to actually set the basis
of these processes.
00:16:52.417 --> 00:16:55.750
(narrator): The first stage
of this in-depth study
00:16:55.750 --> 00:16:58.750
is to measure
atmospheric exchanges.
00:16:58.750 --> 00:17:01.625
What enters the air and
the dynamics of the gases
00:17:01.625 --> 00:17:04.333
that circulate there?
00:17:06.375 --> 00:17:10.041
Any alteration
in atmospheric exchange
00:17:10.041 --> 00:17:12.542
can have a significant impact
00:17:12.542 --> 00:17:15.999
on the Arctic ecosystem\'s
natural cycles.
00:17:19.999 --> 00:17:21.667
- One of the reasons why
00:17:21.667 --> 00:17:23.792
the Arctic is particularly
sensitive
00:17:23.792 --> 00:17:25.959
is that a small change
in temperature
00:17:25.959 --> 00:17:28.792
can lead to a very large
change in conditions.
00:17:28.792 --> 00:17:32.625
Especially close to the
freezing point of sea water.
00:17:32.625 --> 00:17:34.458
If arctic temperatures
decrease a little,
00:17:34.458 --> 00:17:36.583
than it means
there would be more ice.
00:17:36.583 --> 00:17:41.041
The ice reflects more sun light,
making the surface cooler
00:17:41.041 --> 00:17:44.667
and so there\'s a positive
feedback there.
00:17:44.667 --> 00:17:48.959
Equally well, if the Arctic
warms up a little --
00:17:48.959 --> 00:17:50.291
and it doesn\'t have
to be all year,
00:17:50.291 --> 00:17:53.250
but warming up in the springtime
or warming up in the autumn
00:17:53.250 --> 00:17:55.999
when the ice is either
forming or melting is important.
00:17:55.999 --> 00:18:02.125
If there\'s warming, the ice
will melt sooner or form later.
00:18:02.125 --> 00:18:03.999
When the ice is not there,
00:18:03.999 --> 00:18:07.999
the ocean absorbs
a lot more solar radiation.
00:18:07.999 --> 00:18:11.000
And that solar radiation
warms the ocean.
00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:15.458
Yes if it warms,
it will continue to warm.
00:18:23.999 --> 00:18:27.333
- Well, what happens in the
Central Canadian Arctic Basin,
00:18:27.333 --> 00:18:29.125
sea ice is formed in the fall;
00:18:29.125 --> 00:18:30.792
as you drop
the temperatures down,
00:18:30.792 --> 00:18:33.542
the ocean will freeze
at about minus one,
00:18:33.542 --> 00:18:35.208
minus one point eight.
00:18:35.208 --> 00:18:37.458
And when you start
to form that ice,
00:18:37.458 --> 00:18:39.208
it caps the ocean
from the atmosphere.
00:18:39.208 --> 00:18:42.709
That\'s the most significant
thing that sea ice does.
00:18:42.709 --> 00:18:45.625
It slows down the movement
of energy
00:18:45.625 --> 00:18:47.667
from the ocean
to the atmosphere.
00:18:47.667 --> 00:18:50.333
As soon as that ice
cover is solid and formed,
00:18:50.333 --> 00:18:52.792
then the air will cool off
considerably.
00:18:52.792 --> 00:18:55.999
Now that first-year ice,
at the end of a season,
00:18:55.999 --> 00:18:57.834
if it doesn\'t completely melt,
00:18:57.834 --> 00:19:00.375
it will stay on through
the summer melt period
00:19:00.375 --> 00:19:03.333
and it will become what
we call multi-year sea ice.
00:19:03.333 --> 00:19:04.999
And as it survives
those summers,
00:19:04.999 --> 00:19:08.333
of course, it gets progressively
thicker and thicker and thicker,
00:19:08.333 --> 00:19:11.166
as you go through the season.
00:19:11.166 --> 00:19:14.458
The way the ice circulation
works in this area here,
00:19:14.458 --> 00:19:16.417
is it\'ll get caught in a dryer
00:19:16.417 --> 00:19:18.250
and that dryer circulates
with time.
00:19:18.250 --> 00:19:21.208
And it\'ll just continue
to cycle around the Arctic.
00:19:21.208 --> 00:19:22.375
Ultimately though,
what happens
00:19:22.375 --> 00:19:25.000
is that ice will eventually
be flushed out
00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:28.291
through Fram Strait
into the North Atlantic.
00:19:28.291 --> 00:19:31.166
And there it will melt.
00:19:31.792 --> 00:19:36.709
(narrator): The Arctic has a
distinctive system of currents,
00:19:36.709 --> 00:19:38.500
a cardiovascular system.
00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:42.542
Water masses from
the Atlantic and the Pacific
00:19:42.542 --> 00:19:45.500
follow complex routes
around basins
00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:47.083
before emerging in the Atlantic
00:19:47.083 --> 00:19:51.083
along the Labrador coast and
the eastern coast of Greenland.
00:19:51.083 --> 00:19:54.792
There, they meet up
with warm salty water
00:19:54.792 --> 00:19:56.333
carried by the Gulf Stream,
00:19:56.333 --> 00:19:59.375
which is part of the great
ocean-current system
00:19:59.375 --> 00:20:01.250
that encircles the planet.
00:20:01.250 --> 00:20:06.458
In this region, large water
masses of different densities
00:20:06.458 --> 00:20:07.999
collide continuously,
00:20:07.999 --> 00:20:11.083
pushing the colder waters
towards the ocean floor
00:20:11.083 --> 00:20:14.458
and setting convection
currents in motion.
00:20:14.458 --> 00:20:18.542
This contributes
to climate control.
00:20:19.999 --> 00:20:21.500
As it moves north,
00:20:21.500 --> 00:20:23.999
the Gulf Stream disperses
some of its heat
00:20:23.999 --> 00:20:25.500
in the northern hemisphere.
00:20:25.500 --> 00:20:30.542
Without this, Western Europe
would have a Siberian climate!
00:20:31.542 --> 00:20:34.375
But if the temperature
and quantity of fresh water
00:20:34.375 --> 00:20:36.999
from the Arctic Ocean
were to change,
00:20:36.999 --> 00:20:40.417
this crucial cycle
would be disrupted.
00:20:40.417 --> 00:20:42.250
A predicted slower current
00:20:42.250 --> 00:20:46.709
would result in a major
climatic variation.
00:20:47.583 --> 00:20:52.999
- It\'s impossible to give
clear and simple pictures
00:20:52.999 --> 00:20:56.959
about how the Earth
is going to respond
00:20:56.959 --> 00:20:58.750
to these changes in patterns.
00:20:58.750 --> 00:21:01.417
However when we build
our society
00:21:01.417 --> 00:21:04.999
and we build our agriculture
and our economics
00:21:04.999 --> 00:21:07.417
expecting things
are not gonna change,
00:21:07.417 --> 00:21:10.166
we\'re making a big mistake.
00:21:20.875 --> 00:21:23.083
-Bonjour, Jean Jouzel,
je suis heureux
00:21:23.083 --> 00:21:24.959
N de vous accueillir à IDRIS.
00:21:24.959 --> 00:21:26.500
-Oui, d\'autant plus
que pour moi,
00:21:26.500 --> 00:21:28.709
c\'est la première fois
que je viens ici...
00:21:28.709 --> 00:21:31.834
(narrator): To try to understand
how the planet will respond,
00:21:31.834 --> 00:21:34.000
scientists are using
climate models
00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:36.709
that require an astronomical
number
00:21:36.709 --> 00:21:38.208
of mathematical operations
00:21:38.208 --> 00:21:40.999
to integrate ever more
numerous variables.
00:21:40.999 --> 00:21:44.291
Even supercomputers have
to grind away
00:21:44.291 --> 00:21:45.917
for nearly a year
00:21:45.917 --> 00:21:49.083
to simulate a century
of climate change.
00:21:50.750 --> 00:21:51.750
- These machines,
00:21:51.750 --> 00:21:53.625
this group
of three machines here,
00:21:53.625 --> 00:21:57.500
are vectorial supercomputers.
They produce around
00:21:57.500 --> 00:22:01.875
300 billion instructions
or operations per second
00:22:01.875 --> 00:22:06.333
and they run 24 hours a day,
365 days a year.
00:22:37.999 --> 00:22:39.999
(narrator): The projected
distribution
00:22:39.999 --> 00:22:42.083
of temperature changes
for 2050,
00:22:42.083 --> 00:22:44.959
shows that polar regions
will be affected
00:22:44.959 --> 00:22:49.250
to a much greater degree
than tropical regions.
00:22:56.542 --> 00:23:00.166
- Right now, the models predict
that sea ice may become
00:23:00.166 --> 00:23:02.834
as seasonally absent
as early as 2050.
00:23:02.834 --> 00:23:06.709
Which means that there
would be no ice cover
00:23:06.709 --> 00:23:07.999
in the summer time.
00:23:07.999 --> 00:23:11.458
That has very
far-reaching effects
00:23:11.458 --> 00:23:13.999
because it would mean
that the weather
00:23:13.999 --> 00:23:15.875
in the northern hemisphere
would change,
00:23:15.875 --> 00:23:19.333
because the atmosphere would be
getting a lot of energy
00:23:19.333 --> 00:23:21.999
from the ocean throughout
the year.
00:23:21.999 --> 00:23:24.125
It would also change the oceans
because the oceans
00:23:24.125 --> 00:23:26.375
would be receiving a lot
of solar radiation
00:23:26.375 --> 00:23:28.000
that they wouldn\'t normally get.
00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:30.375
it would have very far-reaching
consequences
00:23:30.375 --> 00:23:34.041
and nobody is really sure
exactly what would happen
00:23:34.041 --> 00:23:36.291
in that kind of scenario.
00:23:36.291 --> 00:23:37.999
One of the main reasons
00:23:37.999 --> 00:23:39.792
we put so much effort
and emphasis
00:23:39.792 --> 00:23:42.625
into doing the detailed
research work on sea ice
00:23:42.625 --> 00:23:44.083
is exactly for that reason.
00:23:44.083 --> 00:23:46.667
We need to understand that now
so that we can
00:23:46.667 --> 00:23:50.125
make reasonable predictions
about what the future holds.
00:24:07.834 --> 00:24:10.250
- We always think of the Arctic
as a desert.
00:24:10.250 --> 00:24:11.917
It\'s not a desert.
00:24:11.917 --> 00:24:13.709
While it\'s ice covered
and snow covered,
00:24:13.709 --> 00:24:15.792
yes the light cannot
penetrates the water come...
00:24:15.792 --> 00:24:18.458
But there is other life forms,
there is...
00:24:18.458 --> 00:24:20.083
there\'s other life forms.
00:24:20.083 --> 00:24:21.999
But the big \"bloom\" comes
in summer.
00:24:21.999 --> 00:24:24.375
When it comes, it\'s very
important, it\'s drastic.
00:24:24.375 --> 00:24:26.875
So if you would put
the quantity of biomass
00:24:26.875 --> 00:24:28.999
produced in a month
in the Arctic,
00:24:28.999 --> 00:24:29.999
it may be the equivalent
00:24:29.999 --> 00:24:33.917
of what\'s produced
in a year in the tropic.
00:24:53.542 --> 00:24:55.583
(narrator): In the Arctic,
00:24:55.583 --> 00:24:57.458
everything is linked
00:24:57.458 --> 00:24:59.125
to a distinctive light cycle.
00:24:59.125 --> 00:25:01.000
Marine organisms
have adapted
00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:04.667
to a very short but extremely
productive summer.
00:25:04.667 --> 00:25:08.250
Because the food chain
contains only a few links,
00:25:08.250 --> 00:25:12.000
energy is transferred
to the top of the chain
00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:13.291
very efficiently,
00:25:13.291 --> 00:25:15.333
from the diatoms
to the copepods,
00:25:15.333 --> 00:25:18.834
to small fish like Arctic cod,
00:25:18.834 --> 00:25:20.333
to seal,
00:25:20.333 --> 00:25:24.125
and lastly, to the polar bear.
00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:15.333
- Polar bears only feed
when there is ice.
00:26:15.333 --> 00:26:17.999
They feed in the summer,
to some extent
00:26:17.999 --> 00:26:19.999
but it\'s only supplementary.
00:26:19.999 --> 00:26:21.542
And in order to feed properly
00:26:21.542 --> 00:26:25.417
to gain weight to allow them
to survive through the year,
00:26:25.417 --> 00:26:26.999
they have to have
a platform of ice
00:26:26.999 --> 00:26:30.000
because their principal food
is the ringed seal.
00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:32.999
And without ice,
they can\'t hunt seals.
00:26:32.999 --> 00:26:35.999
Not really; they have to hunt
seals through the ice
00:26:35.999 --> 00:26:37.875
when the seal is at his
breathing pause.
00:26:37.875 --> 00:26:41.792
So the ice is essential
for them in that sense.
00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:50.709
- Well this population here
00:26:50.709 --> 00:26:52.709
and the James Bay population
to the south
00:26:52.709 --> 00:26:55.291
are the southernmost
polar bears in the world.
00:26:55.291 --> 00:26:56.999
And it could be argued
00:26:56.999 --> 00:27:01.500
that they found
a sort of a balance here,
00:27:01.500 --> 00:27:04.166
that is very fragile.
00:27:31.291 --> 00:27:33.333
- In the summer,
the bears don\'t eat.
00:27:33.333 --> 00:27:34.999
When they come off
the pack ice in July,
00:27:34.999 --> 00:27:38.875
unless they find a dead blue
whale or a dead caribou or --
00:27:38.875 --> 00:27:40.250
they\'re not actively eating
00:27:40.250 --> 00:27:44.999
unless they find something
that they can scavenge on.
00:27:44.999 --> 00:27:47.667
They are totally dependent
on their fat reserves
00:27:47.667 --> 00:27:48.999
to survive through the summer.
00:27:48.999 --> 00:27:51.959
So if they have
a shorter period of time
00:27:51.959 --> 00:27:52.999
to build up the fat reserves
00:27:52.999 --> 00:27:55.999
over the course of the winter
when the pack ice is there,
00:27:55.999 --> 00:27:57.291
obviously it will affect
their ability
00:27:57.291 --> 00:28:00.417
to survive through
the summer.
00:28:00.417 --> 00:28:02.792
- In recent years,
00:28:02.792 --> 00:28:04.125
it has been observed
00:28:04.125 --> 00:28:08.417
that the ice has been forming
later than traditionally.
00:28:08.417 --> 00:28:11.500
Something like 2 weeks later
on average
00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:12.999
over recent years.
00:28:12.999 --> 00:28:15.999
The ice at the same time
is leaving the bay,
00:28:15.999 --> 00:28:17.917
the freeze-up is occurring
sooner,
00:28:17.917 --> 00:28:18.999
and it\'s been observed --
00:28:18.999 --> 00:28:21.959
this is something like
two weeks as well.
00:28:21.959 --> 00:28:23.959
The problem in that
00:28:23.959 --> 00:28:27.875
is mostly related to
the emerging females with young.
00:28:27.875 --> 00:28:31.999
Because the bears who go onto
the Bay to feed in November time
00:28:31.999 --> 00:28:34.417
are able to feed
from then until July.
00:28:34.417 --> 00:28:36.792
And so for there to be
two weeks less of feeding,
00:28:36.792 --> 00:28:39.999
it isn\'t a good thing but it is
a little bit more manageable.
00:28:39.999 --> 00:28:42.458
However the female
who emerges with her young
00:28:42.458 --> 00:28:46.166
in March and April,
she only has about four months
00:28:46.166 --> 00:28:48.625
or slightly less
in which to feed.
00:28:48.625 --> 00:28:50.999
So to remove two weeks
from that,
00:28:50.999 --> 00:28:53.250
to have the ice leave the Bay
two weeks sooner
00:28:53.250 --> 00:28:58.375
is to reduce her feeding period
by something like 15%.
00:28:59.709 --> 00:29:00.583
And that is very significant
00:29:00.583 --> 00:29:03.667
and if that was to continue
in the future as it may,
00:29:03.667 --> 00:29:05.083
is going to possibly leave
00:29:05.083 --> 00:29:08.125
these animals with
an inadequate amount of time
00:29:08.125 --> 00:29:10.750
to feed themselves
and their young
00:29:10.750 --> 00:29:13.375
and to get them through
the period of the summer
00:29:13.375 --> 00:29:16.000
when they don\'t eat.
00:29:55.667 --> 00:29:57.709
(narrator): If the models
are accurate
00:29:57.709 --> 00:30:01.166
and the ice cap does
disappear around 2050,
00:30:01.166 --> 00:30:02.834
it is highly probable
00:30:02.834 --> 00:30:05.166
that a number of species
of marine organisms,
00:30:05.166 --> 00:30:08.208
including mammals,
that depend on ice
00:30:08.208 --> 00:30:09.999
will disappear as well.
00:30:09.999 --> 00:30:12.333
What will happen
to underwater life forms
00:30:12.333 --> 00:30:17.625
like ice algae that have evolved
to live under the ice?
00:30:32.291 --> 00:30:33.999
We know very little
00:30:33.999 --> 00:30:36.375
about the current arctic
marine ecosystem.
00:30:36.375 --> 00:30:38.999
How it evolved
and how variability
00:30:38.999 --> 00:30:42.208
and the physical environment
affects its biodiversity.
00:30:42.208 --> 00:30:46.375
This makes it difficult
to predict what will happen
00:30:46.375 --> 00:30:47.999
if the ice cover disappears?
00:30:47.999 --> 00:30:52.999
In this multi-layered marine
ecosystem, scientists analyze
00:30:52.999 --> 00:30:56.208
the varying biochemistry
of the water column
00:30:56.208 --> 00:30:57.959
at different depths.
00:30:57.959 --> 00:31:00.333
They\'re just beginning
basic research
00:31:00.333 --> 00:31:02.667
on viruses and bacteria.
00:31:02.667 --> 00:31:06.208
- Our first step
is to take samples
00:31:06.208 --> 00:31:08.667
from different layers
within the ocean.
00:31:08.667 --> 00:31:10.333
And basically what
we\'re trying to do
00:31:10.333 --> 00:31:12.583
is to understand the structure
and the functioning
00:31:12.583 --> 00:31:15.542
of this ecosystem.
How does this ecosystem work?
00:31:15.542 --> 00:31:17.792
And how will it change
in the future?
00:31:17.792 --> 00:31:19.083
How has it changed in the past
00:31:19.083 --> 00:31:21.375
in response to the variations
in climate?
00:31:21.375 --> 00:31:25.375
A lot of the life that we work
on isn\'t immediately obvious.
00:31:25.375 --> 00:31:28.542
It requires very special
sorts of techniques
00:31:28.542 --> 00:31:29.999
to penetrate deeper.
00:31:29.999 --> 00:31:33.125
In fact, it\'s really only been
in the last few years
00:31:33.125 --> 00:31:35.834
that we\'ve had the tools
that are really necessary
00:31:35.834 --> 00:31:38.250
to go beneath the surface
of the ocean
00:31:38.250 --> 00:31:39.250
and ask the question,
00:31:39.250 --> 00:31:43.917
What is the species diversity
in this incredible environment?
00:31:43.917 --> 00:31:47.166
And what we\'re seeing
in the process of this work
00:31:47.166 --> 00:31:49.417
is an extraordinary richness,
00:31:49.417 --> 00:31:52.166
an unbelievable richness
at all levels.
00:31:52.166 --> 00:31:55.250
It\'s extraordinary that here
we are in the 21st century;
00:31:55.250 --> 00:31:59.333
we still don\'t have names
for most of the species,
00:31:59.333 --> 00:32:03.999
most of the biomass that exists
out in the world ocean.
00:32:14.709 --> 00:32:17.542
So one of the central questions
is how much of the carbon
00:32:17.542 --> 00:32:20.417
is made available to the rest
of the food web
00:32:20.417 --> 00:32:21.999
and how much is lost.
00:32:21.999 --> 00:32:24.583
What are the sinks of carbon
in this ecosystem?
00:32:24.583 --> 00:32:27.250
We know that some
of the carbon is respired,
00:32:27.250 --> 00:32:29.917
is utilized by these
very small life forms.
00:32:29.917 --> 00:32:32.709
We really need to understand
that balance
00:32:32.709 --> 00:32:34.000
between these different
processes
00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:36.999
in order to be able to predict
the carbon flows
00:32:36.999 --> 00:32:39.999
and the energy fluxes
in the future.
00:32:45.041 --> 00:32:47.542
The absence of an ice cap
changes everything.
00:32:47.542 --> 00:32:50.625
In terms of the structure
of this environment,
00:32:50.625 --> 00:32:52.875
the nature of the habitats
00:32:52.875 --> 00:32:54.999
for the life forms
in this environment.
00:32:54.999 --> 00:32:58.166
There will be a change
in species without a doubt.
00:32:58.166 --> 00:32:59.917
There will be losers
00:32:59.917 --> 00:33:01.792
and there will be winners
in that change.
00:33:01.792 --> 00:33:06.333
Already, we are seeing in
the northern part of the Arctic
00:33:06.333 --> 00:33:08.709
the loss of complete ecosystems.
00:33:08.709 --> 00:33:11.959
Ice-based ecosystems, for
example, that are disappearing.
00:33:11.959 --> 00:33:14.917
Ancient ice systems dating
several thousands years
00:33:14.917 --> 00:33:19.667
have collapsed by an excess
of 50 or 60 or 70%.
00:33:19.667 --> 00:33:21.917
There are certain sorts
of ecosystems
00:33:21.917 --> 00:33:25.041
that will no longer be part
of the Arctic environment.
00:33:25.041 --> 00:33:26.834
These, in turn, will be replaced
00:33:26.834 --> 00:33:30.667
by other sorts of organisms,
other life forms.
00:33:34.999 --> 00:33:37.208
(narrator): Scientists
are just beginning
00:33:37.208 --> 00:33:38.999
to understand the role of oceans
00:33:38.999 --> 00:33:41.999
in atmospheric
carbon fluctuations.
00:33:41.999 --> 00:33:43.375
Current research
00:33:43.375 --> 00:33:46.999
is making it possible to develop
better climate models
00:33:46.999 --> 00:33:48.417
that may be able to predict
00:33:48.417 --> 00:33:52.709
the true winners and losers
of the coming change.
00:35:05.999 --> 00:35:09.625
- It\'s an ecosystem that\'s
tuned to the timing of the ice,
00:35:09.625 --> 00:35:12.999
to the timing of break-up,
to the timing of freeze-up.
00:35:12.999 --> 00:35:14.125
To the extent
00:35:14.125 --> 00:35:18.166
all of these things are
going to be impacted
00:35:18.166 --> 00:35:19.999
and they are going
to be changed.
00:35:19.999 --> 00:35:24.208
And by looking at models
and trends and observations,
00:35:24.208 --> 00:35:28.458
we can get an idea
of what is possible.
00:35:28.458 --> 00:35:32.250
We take those
to the policy makers
00:35:32.250 --> 00:35:34.375
and say this is our view
of possible futures
00:35:34.375 --> 00:35:37.542
and what are you going
to do about it.
00:35:37.999 --> 00:35:41.625
(TV): The state of emergency was
still in effect in Prague today,
00:35:41.625 --> 00:35:43.917
following the worst
flooding of the century.
00:35:43.917 --> 00:35:46.750
Makeshift barriers
were erected...
00:35:46.750 --> 00:35:48.999
- We\'re now in an energy crisis.
00:35:48.999 --> 00:35:51.458
And that\'s why I have decided
00:35:51.458 --> 00:35:55.750
to not have mandatory caps
on CO2.
00:35:55.750 --> 00:35:57.000
We\'ll be working with our allies
00:35:57.000 --> 00:36:00.875
to reduce greenhouse gases,
but I will not accept a plan
00:36:00.875 --> 00:36:04.625
that\'ll harm our economy
and hurt American workers.
00:36:05.166 --> 00:36:09.959
- This shows you the projected
change in surface temperature --
00:36:09.959 --> 00:36:13.333
year for year change
in surface temperature --
00:36:13.333 --> 00:36:15.625
incrementing one year at a time.
00:36:15.625 --> 00:36:19.583
And the clock will keep ticking
until you\'ve reached 2100
00:36:19.583 --> 00:36:21.542
and then, you\'ll see
that gradually,
00:36:21.542 --> 00:36:24.375
the whole surface of the Earth
becomes warmer.
00:36:24.375 --> 00:36:28.083
These red colours indicate
warmer temperatures.
00:36:36.125 --> 00:36:38.500
(narrator): Models predict
temperature changes
00:36:38.500 --> 00:36:40.583
that resemble what
the earth experienced
00:36:40.583 --> 00:36:44.583
during the end
of the last glaciation.
00:36:47.999 --> 00:36:50.792
- Under this scenario, the mean
temperature on the planet
00:36:50.792 --> 00:36:53.250
would increase
by three and a half degrees,
00:36:53.250 --> 00:36:54.500
unevenly distributed.
00:36:54.500 --> 00:36:57.959
The largest warming would occur
on the continents where we live.
00:36:57.959 --> 00:36:59.999
For example, in Europe:
four to six degrees.
00:36:59.999 --> 00:37:02.792
Moscow would have
the temperature of Paris,
00:37:02.792 --> 00:37:05.000
and Paris, the temperature
of Algiers.
00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:07.125
These are really
major climate changes
00:37:07.125 --> 00:37:10.125
that will have visible
consequences in our regions too.
00:37:10.125 --> 00:37:12.500
We believe the first
visible consequence
00:37:12.500 --> 00:37:16.583
is that half the Alpine glaciers
will disappear.
00:37:24.458 --> 00:37:26.792
- The glaciers,
wherever they are,
00:37:26.792 --> 00:37:30.291
they have a thing
like a bank balance, almost.
00:37:30.291 --> 00:37:31.625
And snow falls on them,
00:37:31.625 --> 00:37:34.917
and of course it falls from the
top to the bottom in the winter.
00:37:34.917 --> 00:37:36.999
And then, when the summer
comes around,
00:37:36.999 --> 00:37:41.625
what you get is that the snow
at the top stays,
00:37:41.625 --> 00:37:42.999
and lower down,
00:37:42.999 --> 00:37:46.999
the snow melts and if it melts
more than it accumulates,
00:37:46.999 --> 00:37:50.999
you\'ve got a negative
balance over a period of time.
00:37:50.999 --> 00:37:53.542
And in the Canadian Arctic,
there is no doubt,
00:37:53.542 --> 00:37:54.999
in the last 25 years,
00:37:54.999 --> 00:37:58.291
the glaciers are getting
more and more negative.
00:38:15.999 --> 00:38:18.125
- What\'s going on,
on a global scale,
00:38:18.125 --> 00:38:19.834
is that glaciers are melting.
00:38:19.834 --> 00:38:22.999
Almost all the glaciers
in the Arctic region,
00:38:22.999 --> 00:38:24.792
we know, are melting.
00:38:24.792 --> 00:38:27.166
And that water is now
being freed up
00:38:27.166 --> 00:38:28.999
and is going into the oceans.
00:38:28.999 --> 00:38:30.999
It\'s actually one of the things
00:38:30.999 --> 00:38:32.166
that complicates
shoreline erosion.
00:38:32.166 --> 00:38:34.959
Because if the
ocean level is rising --
00:38:34.959 --> 00:38:37.500
but it\'s rising because
glaciers are melting,
00:38:37.500 --> 00:38:39.625
not because sea ice
is melting.
00:38:39.625 --> 00:38:41.709
But also as you warm
the planet up,
00:38:41.709 --> 00:38:44.041
you increase the ocean levels
simply by expansion.
00:38:44.041 --> 00:38:49.041
You warm the water up
and it expands larger.
00:38:49.999 --> 00:38:52.667
If you combine those
two kinds of things
00:38:52.667 --> 00:38:54.500
with less sea ice in a region,
00:38:54.500 --> 00:38:57.375
and if you look
at the ocean here,
00:38:57.375 --> 00:38:59.166
in the Mackenzie Shelf area,
00:38:59.166 --> 00:39:00.999
the other problem with
shoreline erosion
00:39:00.999 --> 00:39:03.917
is because there is
less ice in this area,
00:39:03.917 --> 00:39:06.125
when the wind blows,
you get larger waves
00:39:06.125 --> 00:39:09.750
and those waves travel further
inshore and have more energy
00:39:09.750 --> 00:39:13.000
and can, of course, erode
the land mass more efficiently
00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:14.834
than in would have otherwise.
00:39:14.834 --> 00:39:17.999
So coastal erosion, of course,
has many impacts
00:39:17.999 --> 00:39:19.542
on local communities
00:39:19.542 --> 00:39:21.458
and the situation here
in Tuktoyaktuk
00:39:21.458 --> 00:39:24.999
is particularly problematic
because of the community
00:39:24.999 --> 00:39:26.083
that\'s located here.
00:39:26.083 --> 00:39:29.583
They have difficulty maintaining
the land mass for the housing
00:39:29.583 --> 00:39:32.999
as well as the infrastructure
for sewage and electrical
00:39:32.999 --> 00:39:35.834
and those types of things.
00:39:39.999 --> 00:39:42.041
- The ocean has
incredible inertia,
00:39:42.041 --> 00:39:43.999
which means that since
thermal expansion
00:39:43.999 --> 00:39:47.458
affects the entire ocean,
it will continue inexorably.
00:39:47.458 --> 00:39:49.834
If it\'s 50 cm at the end
of the century,
00:39:49.834 --> 00:39:53.208
it\'ll still be 50 cm at the end
of the next century.
00:39:53.208 --> 00:39:55.333
But the thing is,
from the moment
00:39:55.333 --> 00:39:58.750
the sea warms up by around
five degrees around Greenland,
00:39:58.750 --> 00:40:01.999
we\'re afraid the Greenland
ice sheet will partially melt.
00:40:01.999 --> 00:40:04.542
And the disappearance
of half the ice sheet
00:40:04.542 --> 00:40:07.542
would provoke a sea level rise
of three metres.
00:40:07.542 --> 00:40:11.500
Between that
and thermal expansion,
00:40:11.500 --> 00:40:14.041
the sea level could rise
by five or six metres.
00:40:14.041 --> 00:40:18.999
Not in the 21st century, but
let\'s say in the 23rd or 24th.
00:40:18.999 --> 00:40:21.792
But if we get to the end
of the 21st century
00:40:21.792 --> 00:40:23.999
and we\'re still
in that position,
00:40:23.999 --> 00:40:25.458
it will be almost inexorable.
00:40:25.458 --> 00:40:29.083
I believe we don\'t have
the right to do that.
00:40:57.667 --> 00:41:01.917
- Projecting future climate for
20 years from now, for example,
00:41:01.917 --> 00:41:04.625
it turns out
that those projections
00:41:04.625 --> 00:41:07.999
are not very sensitive
to the scenario
00:41:07.999 --> 00:41:10.250
that you use for
greenhouse gas emissions
00:41:10.250 --> 00:41:11.917
over the next 20 years.
00:41:11.917 --> 00:41:14.458
Because much of the warming
that will occur
00:41:14.458 --> 00:41:17.542
over the next 20 years
will be the result
00:41:17.542 --> 00:41:20.291
of past emissions
of greenhouse gases.
00:41:20.291 --> 00:41:22.834
That\'s something
the climatologists call
00:41:22.834 --> 00:41:23.667
the committed warning.
00:41:23.667 --> 00:41:26.000
So we\'ve already made
a commitment to future warming
00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:28.583
by changing the composition
of the atmosphere.
00:41:28.583 --> 00:41:31.999
The climate system presently
is not in equilibrium
00:41:31.999 --> 00:41:34.999
with that change of composition
of the atmosphere.
00:41:34.999 --> 00:41:36.625
And so even if we don\'t change
00:41:36.625 --> 00:41:39.709
greenhouse gas composition
of the atmosphere,
00:41:39.709 --> 00:41:42.458
if we manage to stabilize
the atmosphere composition,
00:41:42.458 --> 00:41:44.959
the climate will still try
to come in equilibrium
00:41:44.959 --> 00:41:47.792
with those changed conditions.
00:42:07.333 --> 00:42:08.750
- The idea that the Arctic
00:42:08.750 --> 00:42:11.125
is all part
of a global climate system
00:42:11.125 --> 00:42:13.250
has to always be kept in mind.
00:42:13.250 --> 00:42:15.500
And by being part of a system,
00:42:15.500 --> 00:42:19.583
that means if you push on it,
it may push back.
00:42:19.583 --> 00:42:21.583
It may react to what you do.
00:42:21.583 --> 00:42:25.875
And there have been three ideas
put forward
00:42:25.875 --> 00:42:28.417
whereby the Arctic
may respond
00:42:28.417 --> 00:42:31.999
by shutdown of the ocean
conveyor belt,
00:42:31.999 --> 00:42:34.667
or a modification of it.
00:42:34.667 --> 00:42:36.999
Another is a change
of the albedo of sea ice.
00:42:36.999 --> 00:42:39.250
And a third that isn\'t
getting too much attention
00:42:39.250 --> 00:42:42.458
but could be potentially
very serious
00:42:42.458 --> 00:42:47.041
is the release of carbon dioxide
and methane,
00:42:47.041 --> 00:42:48.999
which is also a greenhouse gas,
00:42:48.999 --> 00:42:53.458
from the permafrost and from
the methane hydrate layer
00:42:53.458 --> 00:42:56.125
that is buried deep
in the arctic soils.
00:42:56.125 --> 00:43:00.125
This is a different part
of the carbon cycle
00:43:00.125 --> 00:43:03.083
that biological oceanographers
study.
00:43:03.083 --> 00:43:05.458
They\'re looking at
the fast carbon cycle.
00:43:05.458 --> 00:43:08.166
What grows this year,
what recycles to the food chain.
00:43:08.166 --> 00:43:10.041
Now we\'re talking
about carbon products
00:43:10.041 --> 00:43:14.458
that have been stored in the
planet for millions of years,
00:43:14.458 --> 00:43:19.458
that are being -- may be --
released catastrophically
00:43:19.458 --> 00:43:22.999
in one big burp if you like
00:43:22.999 --> 00:43:24.875
into the atmosphere
00:43:24.875 --> 00:43:26.999
and then compound
the consequences
00:43:26.999 --> 00:43:29.709
of greenhouse gas warming.
00:43:35.999 --> 00:43:37.333
- There are many projections
00:43:37.333 --> 00:43:39.166
and they\'re beginning
to become more,
00:43:39.166 --> 00:43:42.999
which suggests that in a climate
that is warmer than today,
00:43:42.999 --> 00:43:45.999
we should expect more frequent
extreme precipitation events.
00:43:45.999 --> 00:43:49.542
That is, a shift in the
so called distribution
00:43:49.542 --> 00:43:51.999
of precipitation events
to be such
00:43:51.999 --> 00:43:54.999
that there will be
more extreme events.
00:43:55.709 --> 00:43:58.250
(radio): ... northern Europe has
been hit by torrential rains.
00:43:58.250 --> 00:43:59.917
In several cities,
the heavy rains
00:43:59.917 --> 00:44:02.291
and violent winds of recent days
have paralysed
00:44:02.291 --> 00:44:04.125
transportation
and economic activity...
00:44:04.125 --> 00:44:07.125
- Let\'s say, a more variable
climate, more extremes.
00:44:07.125 --> 00:44:10.834
That would be seen, if nowhere
else in insurance policies.
00:44:10.834 --> 00:44:13.583
The real problem is not
the average climate,
00:44:13.583 --> 00:44:15.000
although that\'s a problem, too.
00:44:15.000 --> 00:44:18.166
It\'s the variability.
We fear greater variability.
00:44:18.166 --> 00:44:20.333
For the moment
we don\'t have proof,
00:44:20.333 --> 00:44:24.333
but the risk of a warmer climate
would be more storms,
00:44:24.333 --> 00:44:26.917
more tornadoes,
more adverse effects
00:44:26.917 --> 00:44:30.250
on infrastructures
and our daily life.
00:44:47.667 --> 00:44:50.625
(narrator): Climate change
models are helping us
00:44:50.625 --> 00:44:54.999
to see our home, planet Earth,
in new ways.
00:44:54.999 --> 00:44:57.250
We now realize
00:44:57.250 --> 00:44:59.208
that the natural balance
is changing.
00:44:59.208 --> 00:45:01.999
And it\'s clear that we are
playing a role
00:45:01.999 --> 00:45:05.458
in the changes we are
witnessing today
00:45:05.458 --> 00:45:07.999
and are forecasting
for tomorrow.
00:45:07.999 --> 00:45:09.291
The question is,
00:45:09.291 --> 00:45:12.625
how can we survive
these changes?
00:45:29.041 --> 00:45:31.125
- And what we need to do,
of course,
00:45:31.125 --> 00:45:32.999
if we want to reduce emissions,
00:45:32.999 --> 00:45:35.625
we have to get to levels
significantly below --
00:45:35.625 --> 00:45:37.166
more then 50% globally,
00:45:37.166 --> 00:45:39.625
that\'s including India,
China etc.,
00:45:39.625 --> 00:45:41.166
less than 1990 levels.
00:45:41.166 --> 00:45:43.375
And that has to happen
very rapidly.
00:45:43.375 --> 00:45:46.166
And then we\'ll stabilize our
levels of greenhouse gases
00:45:46.166 --> 00:45:47.999
at four times preindustrial.
That\'s a level
00:45:47.999 --> 00:45:52.417
that hasn\'t been seen since
the dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
00:46:07.834 --> 00:46:08.999
- I have a clock on my desk
00:46:08.999 --> 00:46:12.208
that has a little polar bear
going around in the water
00:46:12.208 --> 00:46:14.500
and it reminds me
00:46:14.500 --> 00:46:16.834
that time is passing.
00:46:16.834 --> 00:46:20.291
We do need to begin
preparation.
00:46:20.291 --> 00:46:24.125
We have to do things
to keep what we have.
00:46:24.125 --> 00:46:25.458
And I just hope
00:46:25.458 --> 00:46:30.667
that my grandchildren don\'t look
at my clock on my desk
00:46:30.667 --> 00:46:36.417
and say, What\'s that white
bear going around in there?
00:46:39.750 --> 00:46:42.999
Well, to, to be confident
of our future,
00:46:42.999 --> 00:46:44.875
we have to act now.
00:46:44.875 --> 00:46:48.999
There\'s a saying that in
the absence of new information,
00:46:48.999 --> 00:46:52.375
decisions will be based
on the assumption
00:46:52.375 --> 00:46:55.083
that things will not change.
00:46:55.083 --> 00:46:57.250
Policy will go on
00:46:57.250 --> 00:47:00.792
as if we live in a frozen world
00:47:00.792 --> 00:47:02.917
and the one thing that we know
00:47:02.917 --> 00:47:04.917
is that climate variability
is real
00:47:04.917 --> 00:47:08.000
and it\'s large
and it has gone on
00:47:08.000 --> 00:47:10.792
since the Earth became a planet.
00:47:10.792 --> 00:47:14.208
We have to --
00:47:14.208 --> 00:47:17.208
everyone of us put
whatever talent we have,
00:47:17.208 --> 00:47:19.875
make whatever effort
we\'re able to do
00:47:19.875 --> 00:47:26.709
to prepare for
the inevitable change.
00:47:26.709 --> 00:47:27.999
- From Singapore to Manila,
00:47:27.999 --> 00:47:29.999
everyone\'s wearing
anti-pollution masks,
00:47:29.999 --> 00:47:32.583
while in Indonesia, forest fires
continue to rage...
00:47:32.583 --> 00:47:35.000
- As far as the future
of the planet is concerned,
00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:37.375
I still think that one
of the things
00:47:37.375 --> 00:47:40.875
that isn\'t emphasized enough
is population growth.
00:47:40.875 --> 00:47:44.999
And consequently using
so much energy.
00:47:44.999 --> 00:47:47.291
And once that\'s
gotten control of,
00:47:47.291 --> 00:47:50.542
then things may go better but
it\'s going to be a rough ride,
00:47:50.542 --> 00:47:54.333
I think, a really rough ride
for over 50 years,
00:47:54.333 --> 00:47:56.999
maybe 100 years more.
00:47:59.041 --> 00:48:00.999
- Two large wildfires
00:48:00.999 --> 00:48:02.999
covering 187,000 acres
were two miles apart
00:48:02.999 --> 00:48:06.000
and drawing closer Thursday
in southwestern Oregon.
00:48:06.000 --> 00:48:08.959
With 17,000 more
residents warned,
00:48:08.959 --> 00:48:11.875
they may have to evacuate
with only half an hour\'s notice.
00:48:11.875 --> 00:48:14.917
The state has already battled
00:48:14.917 --> 00:48:17.667
more then a dozen fires,
all started by lightning,
00:48:17.667 --> 00:48:19.083
that have burned
00:48:19.083 --> 00:48:22.166
some 350,000 acres in the state.
00:48:24.834 --> 00:48:26.792
- We must remain optimistic
00:48:26.792 --> 00:48:30.959
because this is only one of
the problems facing our planet.
00:48:30.959 --> 00:48:32.583
I hope we\'ll succeed,
00:48:32.583 --> 00:48:34.667
but our entire mindset
must be changed,
00:48:34.667 --> 00:48:38.667
in terms of energy production,
energy consumption, and travel;
00:48:38.667 --> 00:48:40.375
we must take responsibility.
00:48:40.375 --> 00:48:42.875
The only way, as far
as we\'re concerned,
00:48:42.875 --> 00:48:44.375
to face up to our responsibility
00:48:44.375 --> 00:48:46.542
is to start right away
with concrete measures.
00:48:46.542 --> 00:48:49.291
They may not be particularly
effective at first,
00:48:49.291 --> 00:48:51.125
but the only way,
for example,
00:48:51.125 --> 00:48:53.083
to influence
developing countries,
00:48:53.083 --> 00:48:55.667
is to impose constraints
on ourselves.
00:48:55.667 --> 00:48:58.834
- Factories in Northern
Italy\'s industrial heartland
00:48:58.834 --> 00:49:00.750
are attempting to return
to normal
00:49:00.750 --> 00:49:03.583
after the floods that have
devastated the region.
00:49:03.583 --> 00:49:05.999
But it is the country\'s
farmers who appear
00:49:05.999 --> 00:49:08.166
to have suffered the most
in the disaster.
00:49:08.166 --> 00:49:10.250
- Climate change certainly
is a global problem.
00:49:10.250 --> 00:49:13.000
But it\'s a global problem
that hasn\'t been created
00:49:13.000 --> 00:49:14.875
by everyone in the globe.
00:49:14.875 --> 00:49:16.291
That is,
the industrialized world
00:49:16.291 --> 00:49:19.250
is the world that has created
the problem
00:49:19.250 --> 00:49:22.000
and the problem has
no bounds, of course,
00:49:22.000 --> 00:49:23.041
where its impacts are felt.
00:49:23.041 --> 00:49:26.083
So I think there\'s a great onus
on the developed world
00:49:26.083 --> 00:49:28.333
to assist those
in the developing world
00:49:28.333 --> 00:49:29.999
through the transfer
of clean technologies,
00:49:29.999 --> 00:49:32.875
through the assistance
in their method for adaptation
00:49:32.875 --> 00:49:34.999
to the consequences
of climate change.
00:49:34.999 --> 00:49:36.417
But we must show
leadership,
00:49:36.417 --> 00:49:38.417
because the problem
was caused by us
00:49:38.417 --> 00:49:41.792
and the solutions will
also have to be made
00:49:41.792 --> 00:49:43.375
and given by us as well.
00:49:43.375 --> 00:49:46.709
So in fact, I think a lot
of people don\'t realize
00:49:46.709 --> 00:49:49.999
that there is a great link
between the climate change issue
00:49:49.999 --> 00:49:50.999
and the global security issue.
00:49:50.999 --> 00:49:53.999
When you have a problem
created in one part,
00:49:53.999 --> 00:49:55.291
that has consequences in others
00:49:55.291 --> 00:49:57.667
that sows the seeds
for discontent.
00:49:57.667 --> 00:50:00.208
(radio) ... not a drop of rain
has fallen in over five weeks.
00:50:00.208 --> 00:50:03.375
The drought has lasted so long
it has deprived cattle farmers
00:50:03.375 --> 00:50:06.125
of much of their fodder
and caused production to drop.
00:50:06.125 --> 00:50:11.000
Farmers are keeping an
anxious eye on the barometer.
00:50:18.375 --> 00:50:20.583
(narrator): Today,
we are experiencing
00:50:20.583 --> 00:50:25.166
climate change that is extremely
rapid by historical standards.
00:50:25.166 --> 00:50:27.208
And scientists are predicting
00:50:27.208 --> 00:50:31.999
a cascade of upheavals
with devastating effects.
00:50:33.999 --> 00:50:37.041
The Arctic is like
a frontier outpost
00:50:37.041 --> 00:50:38.917
that helps us recognize
00:50:38.917 --> 00:50:42.542
the scope of what
is happening early on.
00:50:44.583 --> 00:50:46.041
In the history of evolution,
00:50:46.041 --> 00:50:49.625
species have always adapted
to climate variations
00:50:49.625 --> 00:50:53.166
by moving from one region
to another.
00:50:54.125 --> 00:50:59.125
Tomorrow, where will the
species of the Arctic go?
00:51:03.999 --> 00:51:09.375
Captioning by CNST, Montreal