July was hottest month: Minister warns of global warming

By Andrew Duffy, Southam News Copyright 1998 Montreal Gazette August 25, 1998

Federal scientists say July was the warmest month ever measured in Canada, continuing a record-breaking year that so far ranks as the warmest in history.

Environment Canada announced yesterday that July was 1.6 C warmer than any other month since 1948, when a network of weather stations was established to record temperatures nationwide. The country's average temperature for the month was 15 C, including nighttime and northern readings.

"I predict we're going to shatter the record for the previous warmest summer on record," said Environment Canada climatologist David Phillips.

"What we're getting is month after month, season after season, of record temperatures and even the most doubting of Thomases would have to suggest something is amiss with our climate."

North Changed Most

The department also revealed the average temperature for the first six months of 1998 was 2.7 C above normal. Warming was greatest in Canada's north, where parts of the Northwest Territories experienced temperatures more than 5 degrees above normal.

"I can't emphasize enough how remarkable this year has been both in Canada and globally," said Phillips.

"I've been a climatologist for 30 years and I've never seen these kind of numbers in Canada."

Although reluctant to make a direct link between the records and global warming, Environment Minister Christine Stewart said the year's abnormalities should at least make Canadians concerned about climate change.

"Clearly, the time has come to view our climate as a serious issue," she said yesterday. "We must take action now, even as a precautionary measure, to mitigate future warming."

This year's El Nino raised global temperatures, but there's considerable debate in the scientific community about what came first: A strong El Nino or a warmer atmosphere.

Kyoto Cuts Planned

Some believe the two are unrelated and that this year's record temperatures are part of an irregular climatic pattern. But others contend the regular exchange of heat between the warming atmosphere and oceans actually gave rise to this year's strong El Nino, which in turn boosted temperatures.

Most scientists agree the Earth's atmosphere is slowly being warmed as man-made gases like carbon dioxide absorb heat that would otherwise escape into outer space.

The gases, produced largely through the burning of coal, oil and gasoline, were the subject of a treaty negotiated in Kyoto, Japan, in December.

Canada agreed to cut its emissions by 6 per cent over 1990 levels between 2008-2012. Since then, however, the Liberal government has struggled to maintain support among the provinces for its Kyoto target.

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