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Human Activity and the Environment publication

Canadians recognize the importance of a clean and healthy environment. We understand that the capacity of the environment to supply materials and absorb wastes is finite. But to be effective at reducing our collective impact on the environment we need systematic, accessible and relevant information. Without this basic information, we are unable to understand and respond to environmental change.

The annual Human Activity and the Environment (HAE) publications meet this need with a collection of environmental statistics brought together from many sources. The goal is to paint a statistical portrait of Canada's environment with special emphasis on human activity and its relationship to natural systems–air, water, soil, plants and animals.

Each annual issue of Human Activity and the Environment begins with a feature article (Section 1) covering a current environmental issue of concern to Canadians. The in-depth article provides data and analysis which complement the information presented in the Annual statistics compendium that follows.

The Annual statistics compendium of the Human Activity and the Environment report serves as a general reference for environmental statistics in Canada, pointing readers to available data on environment-human interactions. Divided into three sections, the compendium is organized using the state-pressure-response framework, in which information is classified as measuring the state of the physical environment at a point in time, the pressure placed on the environment by human activities, or the socio-economic response to environmental conditions. The current report includes 91 data tables, 14 charts and 7 maps, along with data highlights that briefly describe notable developments in relation to human activity and the environment to help the reader navigate through the data holdings.

Feature article

Section 1: Climate Change in Canada

The feature article "Climate Change in Canada" begins with an explanation of the science necessary to explore this topic. It continues by examining greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, investigating the driving forces behind those emissions and how those forces may have changed over time. It illustrates some of the impacts of climate change on our land, wildlife and peoples. The article presents activities that Canadians, industry and governments are undertaking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the changing climate, and also profiles some promising areas for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the future.

Annual statistics: an environmental data compendium

Section 2: Canada's physical environment

This section presents information and statistics on Canada's physiography and climate. Physiography, or physical geography, is the study of the physical features of the earth's surface. This section covers two of the key elements that make up Canada's physiography: land cover and hydrology.

Climate can be defined as the average weather that occurs in a specific area over a period of time. Humans rely heavily on the regularity of climate patterns for almost all of their activities. Climate is measured using various weather elements as indicators. These are presented in this section of the compendium.

Section 3: Pressures on Canada's Environment

This section begins by presenting information on the driving forces that shape the relationship between human activities and the environment–namely population, economic conditions and transportation. The section then examines one of the main sources of impacts on the environment–natural resource consumption–by presenting data and highlights on agriculture, fisheries, forestry, minerals and energy. The section concludes by looking at the impacts human activities have on ecosystems, focusing on air, land, water and wildlife statistics.

Section 4: Socio-economic response to environmental conditions

This section explores the way governments, businesses and households try to respond and adapt as environmental conditions change. This chapter describes activities and practices aimed at minimizing or reducing the harmful effects of human activity on the environment.

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