The New Normal: The Canadian Prairies In A Changing Climate

by David Sauchyn (Editor), Harry Diaz (Editor), Suren Kulshreshtha (Editor)

It is a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of climate change in the Prairie Provinces; the impacts on natural resources, communities, human health and sectors of the economy; and the adaptation options that are available for alleviating adverse impacts and taking advantage of new opportunities provided by a warmer climate.

380 pages, Hardcover

First published November 8, 2010

Reviews

[Rhys · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of essays from climate change researchers centred in the Canadian prairies. A pretty grim future for a semi-arid region: "the common scenario is less summer precipitation, falling in fewer and more intense storms, resulting in drier, possibly much drier, conditions in the mid-to-later stages of the longer warmer summers."

The most interesting comment, I think, was: "The new climate-driven reality is that biodiversity managers need to think of themselves not as practitioners of preservation, but as 'creation ecologists,' since antecedent landscapes can no longer be effectively targeted."

Basically, a passive approach to ecosystem management will mean the loss of these ecosystems. The book seems to suggest a more active 'maximize biodiversity vision'in which new species are introduced and the ecosystem is transformed into one more suitable for a future climate equilibrium

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although an important topic and much relevant information, this book is not written for the layman and the computations and compilations of scientific data were lost on me. I could not finish the book, but if you have an abiding interest in environmental science and can understand all the data, then this book is for you, otherwise I would suggest taking a pass.

[Craig Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent collection of essays on the effects of climate change in the Canadian prairies. As a journalist, I referred to it several times, particularly for stories pertaining to water and agriculture.