Winnipeg zoo focuses research on arctic ice, climate change in Manitoba

A Manitoba polar bear is often the poster child for climate change, dealing with the effects of a changing environment.

And with weather predictions showing a grim forecast for the viability of the bears to live in the northern region, researchers are sounding the alarm.

“With climate projections, there is a substantial risk of us not having polar bears in Manitoba any more. That’s probably a few decades into the future, but we’re not too late from that tipping point,” Laura Burns, Research and Conservation Specialist with the Assiniboine Park Zoo said.

The zoo has a team of researchers focusing on climate change in Manitoba. Burns says one of the areas of focus is on the decreasing amount of time there’s ice on the Hudson Bay.

“With climate change we’ve been seeing spring breakup happening earlier and earlier and fall freeze up happening later and later. That means the time there’s no ice in Hudson Bay is happening longer,” she said.

“Species that have never been there before are showing up and species that rely on sea ice aren’t faring so well.”

WATCH: Meet the newest additions to Winnipeg’s zoo bear community

0:37 Meet the newest editions to Winnipeg zoo’s polar bear community

The Prairie Climate Centre out of the University of Winnipeg has a climate atlas that allows Canadians to see how climate change will impact them at home.

According to the map, Churchill will go from having about fifty -30C winter days a year to only about eight by 2080.

In Winnipeg, the prediction shows we will go from having about two weeks of 30C weather days to seven and a half weeks per year.

“There’s a lot more coming — a lot more change in temperatures, extremes, precipitation and every aspect of climate is in transition right now and that’s not a good thing,” Danny Blair co-director of the Prairie Climate Centre said.

Blair said people need to start paying attention to climate change to be able to have a livable planet for generations to come.

“I think a lot of people still don’t truly understand that climate change is about them. Everyone around the world is going to be affected by it. Canadians are going to be effected by it.”