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Communities dependent on Canada鈥檚 blue economy will face growing challenges to their livelihoods as climate change fundamentally alters the country鈥檚 marine environment, according to new 51社区黑料 research.

The four-year study suggests that some parts of the country could see a 50 per cent drop in marine resources, hitting sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture and ecotourism.

All of Canada鈥檚 coastal communities will experience shifting resources with experts suggesting thousands of people could be affected, particularly Indigenous communities, if steps are not taken now to mitigate the risks.

Pedro Gonz谩lez-Espinosa, a climate change researcher in SFU鈥檚 School of Resource and Environmental Management, says: 鈥淭here鈥檚 no getting away from the fact that climate change is already changing our ocean environments and will continue to do so without a dramatic reduction in harmful emissions.

鈥淭he real questions to address now are how marine resources could change and who is going to suffer the most with these changes.

鈥淥ur findings suggest that many of Canada鈥檚 marine sectors would feel the effects to varying extents, but some communities, notably Indigenous groups, are going to be hit harder.鈥�

The blue economy encompasses a number of different sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, ecotourism, offshore energy, marine transport and carbon sequestration.

Within the blue economy, marine resources鈥攕uch as fish, seaweed, energy and tourism opportunities鈥� can drive economic growth, when managed and utilised in a sustainable, responsible and equitable manner.

鈥淲hile we want to highlight how the marine environment is going to be impacted, the main point of this study was to draw attention to who will be affected in terms of livelihoods, jobs and even food security,鈥� says Andr茅s Cisneros-Montemayor, a resource economist and assistant professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management.

鈥淭hese findings highlight the need for adaptive, inclusive, climate-resilient policies to support the livelihoods of coastal communities.鈥�

The study, published in , analyzes historical and projected data around resources within Canada鈥檚 blue economy.

Researchers looked at two future climate scenario projections: a best-case scenario where harmful emissions are reduced; and a worst-case scenario where harmful emissions continue to increase.

These projections enabled them to map out how and where marine resources may change across Canada鈥檚 coasts.

鈥淲hile the outcomes are mixed, projections in the Arctic region show some of the most significant resource declines as temperature changes are going to be more profound,鈥� says Gonz谩lez-Espinosa, lead author of the paper.

鈥淟ikewise, some parts of the Pacific and Atlantic regions could also experience resource declines, particularly if we continue along a high emissions pathway.鈥�

As Canada finalizes its , the study puts forward several recommendations to help inform discussions:

• Long-term sustainability goals must be prioritized
• Climate adaptation is fundamental to ocean planning
• Policies should be tailored based on local conditions and variations
• Steps should be taken to build climate resilience at a community level
• Equal and inclusive governance is necessary to avoid deepening disparities, particularly for Indigenous peoples and marginalised coastal communities.

AVAILABLE EXPERTS

ANDR脡S CISNEROS-MONTEMAYOR, resource economist, assistant professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management

PEDRO GONZ脕LEZ-ESPINOSA, climate change researcher, School of Resource and Environmental Management

颁辞苍迟补肠迟鈥�

SAM SMITH, 51社区黑料Communication & Marketing
236.880.3297 | samuel_smith@sfu.ca

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