SPEAKER: Climate Change Connection

We hear a lot about climate change but do we really understand what it is and what its impacts are? Climate Change Connection can help you with that.

A program of the Manitoba Eco-Network, Climate Change Connection is a non-government organization working to educate Manitobans about climate change and facilitate climate change solutions. They do this through a number of resources and services.

Climate change, as defined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is a change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity, altering the composition of the global atmosphere (source).  Here in the prairies, we might notice changing rain patterns and extreme weather events more than we notice rising sea levels but our actions affect it all. And although its impacts look different depending on location, habitat, etc., one aspect that doe not change is that Mother Nature does not follow the boundaries of human-made borders, therefore we all need to take action.

Impacts are so diverse and complex that they often have a chain reaction. Severe heat, flooding, and droughts can affect crop outcomes, food security, and livelihoods while an increase in global temperatures effects coastal communities, marine wildlife and can cause shortened seasons for winter roads, restricting northern communities in their access to transportation and community supplies.

With so much on the line, it is incredibly important to understand the facts and solutions to the problem. Climate Change Connection offers a number of resources and services for this very reason. In addition to ‘Idle Free Zone’ signs, connection to a network of active groups, and Manitoba-specific information, they also offer presentations, youth conferences, and more!

Interested in an engaging workshop? Climate Change Connection will come to you! Presentations are typically an hour-long, with time for discussion, and cover the science, impacts, and solutions to climate change. Find more information and request a presentation here.

*Examples of presentations include:

• Climate Change & Manitoba: Science, Impacts & Solutions (grade 5 – university)
• Climate Change Plan B: Preparing for the worst (grade 9 – university)
• Awareness to Action (grade 5 – 12)

Looking to host or attend a tailor-made conference with a lasting impact? Educate, motivate, and activate the students at your school with a youth conference on climate change. Running since 2005, these conferences are a one-day event run through a hosting school where students have the chance to learn from experts and action plan. Find more information and request a conference here.

Visit the Climate Change Connection website for more information such answers to the most common questions about the science behind climate change, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission data, impacts of climate change, solutions, connections, and resources.