Canada

 ** C a n a d a  **  1.         **Population:** 33,390,141 
 * Climate:** Varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
 * Geographic location:** Northern hemisphere continent north America
 * Location:** Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US
 * Terrain:** Mostly plains with mountains in the west and lowlands in the east.
 * Capital** **City:** Ottawa

2.   ==== __ Enviromental Health status and Enviromental Issues. __   Polar bears, seals and whales are at threat in Canada. Seals and whales are being slaughtered by the million and soon there won't be any left. Due to global warming and the melting of ice caps polar bears are struggling to find suitable homes. Temagami Old Growth forest is a world-ranked endangered area. It used to be known as the last untamed land but like many other old forests, logging has destryed them. Overall though, Canada heath status is very good. The reason for this being that a majority of Canada's wilderness is National Park and they have plenty of water. This photo shows the brutality which is inflicted upon the seals. 3.      __Human impact that may lead to Environmental damage highlighted above__    ==== Acid Rain is a big environmental concern for Canada. Acid pollution is formed in the atmosphere by contaminants which are produced by the burning of fossil fuel. Air pollution is also a bad one but this happens in most countries. The air is polluted by transportation, industries and any other sources cause an imbalance in this system by modifying its chemical composition. Also living things are affected by this. Oil spills and occur often of the coast of Canada which killed many marine animals. 4.   __ Strategies being implemented by Government bodies to combat environmental issues __ In terms of combatting enviromental issues Canada is doing a lot. They  have begun objectives for phasing out ozone depleting chemicals and redu cing sulphur dioxide emissions. They have now made new protected areas where wildlife and native plants can dwell safely. The Canadian government had introduced its own Clean Air Act where they try to cut down the amount of air pollution caused by transportation and industries.

 5.  __Are the strategies being implemented above going to make a significant difference? How/ why? Is there  another way they could combat the issue? __                The Strategies above seem like they would be effective. The clean air act may not be so effective though, because it would be very difficult to monitor what people were doing to pollute the air. Acid rain is mainly caused by transportation so there fore to combat this issue Canada could introduce more public transport and encourage people to car pool. Strategies should be implemented so that oil spills become a rare occurrence. The main cause for oil spills is using ships that are too old. The government could enforce laws restricting how old ships carrying oil can be.     This photo shows the devastation left behind by oil spills

6.   __  How canada can be affected by the rise in sea levels  __  Canada would not be affected very severely by the change in sea level. Even if the sea rises 14 feet only the east and west coast of Canada would be affected. If Greenland melted being so close to Canada it would effect it rather severley in Northen Canada. Click the follwing link to see how Canada is affected by sea level changes. http://flood.firetree.net/

7.     __What is your country doing in regards to sustainable energy sources?__ Canada still lags behind many other developed countries in its support for renewable energy. At the present Canada is using solar power,tidal power and biomass on a small scale. The most popular sustainable energy source in Canada is wind power. This in Canada is very effective due to the high wind speeds that Canada experiences. Solar power isn't really suitable for Canadas climate because it isn't a very sunny place. 8. __Has your country signed on the Kyoto protocol?__   <span style="COLOR: #0f0f0f; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Yes, Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol on the 29th April 1998 making them one of the first countries to sign.

__References__ http://www.canren.gc.ca/renew_ene/index.asp?CaId=188&PgId=437 http://www.worldfactbook.com/ http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php http://www.ottertooth.com/Temagami/Nature/old-growth.htm http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471199648.html http://visual.merriam-webster.com/images/earth/environment/acid-rain.jpg http://flood.firetree.net/