Climate Action Strategy

Climate change refers to the changes in temperature, precipitation, and weather patterns caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are gases (primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) that trap heat in our atmosphere. The amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere has rapidly increased beyond what can be reliably removed from plants and other natural processes. This has caused our atmosphere to trap more and more heat. According to Environment Canada, the annual average temperature in Canada has increased by over 2°C since 1948.

When we refer to “climate change”, we’re not talking about day-to-day variation in the weather, but long-term changes in what the average temperature and weather patterns in a region look like. These changes can negatively affect humans and nature.

The main cause of climate change is human activities that have increased the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Much of this increase is due to the widespread burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas since the Industrial Revolution. Other human-driven sources of greenhouse gas emissions include waste decomposition in landfills and land use changes like deforestation.

Scientists have observed that the quantity of carbon in our atmosphere has increased rapidly since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and that the proportion of different types of carbon in the atmosphere has changed to be closer to the proportions found in fossil fuels. They have also created models simulating how different human and natural factors influence global temperatures and found that only the models that included human activities matched the observed temperature increase.

Climate change is affecting Northumberland in many different ways. Events such as the 2016 drought, high water levels along Lake Ontario in 2017 and 2019, the May 2022 derecho, the winter 2022 ice storm, and poor air quality in 2025 due to wildfires have disrupted power, damaged infrastructure, and created health and safety risks.

Climate change will continue to affect Northumberland County into the future. Check out our Projections infographic to see how Northumberland County’s climate is expected to change in the future and how these changes will affect our community.

We know that human activities are causing climate change, which means that we have the power to lessen it by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We also know how climate change is likely to impact our community, which means that we can prepare for these impacts in advance.

Climate action means taking initiative to reduce emissions that cause climate change and respond to the ways it will impact our community. Reducing emissions is called mitigation and responding to climate impacts is called adaptation.

Taking climate action helps ensure that the well-being of our community, our economy, and our ecosystems continues into the future. See Our strategy for how Northumberland County is responding to climate change and Take action at home for tips, resources, and programs that can help you take climate action.