Pierre André

Impacts of a Ghg-Induced Climate Change on Crop Yields: Effects of Acceleration in Maturation, Moisture Stress and Optimal Temperature

The present study involves using the Canadian Climate Centre (CCC) climate change scenario to evaluate the impacts of a CO2-induced climate change on agriculture in Québec and vicinity. Climate change using the CCC General Circulation Model (GCM) data are fed into a crop model (FAO) so as to gauge the changes in agroclimatic factors such as growing season length and growing degree days, and subsequently potential yield changes for a variety of cereal (C3 and C4), leguminous, oleaginous, vegetable and special crops, for twelve major agricultural regions in southern Québec. Our results show that depending upon the agricultural zone and crop type, yields may increase (ex. corn and sorghum by 20%) or decrease (ex. wheat and soybean by 20 to 30%). Also, these crop yield changes appear to be related to acceleration in maturation rates, mainly to change in moisture stress and to shifts in optimal thermal growth conditions. These possible shifts in agricultural production potentials would solicit the formulation of appropriate adaptation strategies.

The effects of climatic change and C02 fertilisation on agriculture in Québec

Abstract The agricultural sector forms an important part of the economy of Quebec. The risk of global increase of atmospheric CO 2 concentration and associated climatic change and their influence on agriculture need to be assessed. Although many studies have been conducted on the effect of climate change on agriculture in various parts of the world, fewer studies have focused on the combined effects of climatic change and CO 2 fertilisation on agriculture. This study, using the outputs of the Canadian Climate Centre (CCC) general circulation model coupled with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) crop model, attempts to assess the response of agricultural productivity to both direct (or fertilisation) and indirect (or climatic) effects of increased atmospheric CO 2 concentration, for a variety of crops including C 3 and C 4 cereals, legumes, vegetables and special crops grown in Quebec. It appears that Ca cereal (corn and sorghum) crops would benefit by climate change but would be least favoured by CO 2 fertilisation effect.

Influence d'un changement climatique dû à une hausse de gaz à effet de serre sur l'agriculture au quebec

Abstract This study, using a climate change scenario generated by the Canadian Climate Centre (CCC) general circulation model (GCM) examines the impacts of such a climate change on agriculture in s...

Social impact follow-up in Quebec, Canada: 25 years of environmental impact assessment practice

Quebec, Canada, has 25years background in EIA and follow-up. However, the broadcasting of social impact follow-up results seems neglected by various stakeholders. Proponents (parapublic organizations and private industries), the provincial government, universities and local community groups have developed the capacity to carry out such studies, but only few reports are easily accessible to the public. This paper reports on the practice of social impact follow-ups in Quebec since EIA was implemented in 1980, and identifies benefits and constraints to the dissemination of the results. To improve the situation, the selected reports were integrated in an on-line reference database on environmental follow-up.

Children's representations of the biological richness of the mata atlântica biome

This paper aims to examine the representations of Brazilian children from Joinville Region of biodiversity in the Mata Atlântica. We interviewed 112 girls and 90 boys from a school in the city of Joinville, in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. These 6 to 14 year old students from grade 1 to 8 were requested to estimate the abundance of plants, animals and microorganisms in the region, and to name the species they know. Our results show that children are aware of the high level of biodiversity in their region, but they had difficulty in naming native species.

Hazardous Waste Management and Community Involvement in Canada: The Case of Montreal's Rural-Urban Fringe.

The urban fringe is recognized as the arena of many conflicts involving land uses and values. The development and operation of hazardous waste facilities give rise to numerous conflicts and confrontations. An analysis of three cases in Montreals rural-urban fringe based on a review of articles in the regional press demonstrates the utility of a common conceptual framework based on the awareness cycle which is represented in five phases. The application of the sustainable development concept to the hazardous wastes issue requires adopting approaches emphasizing participation of all the actors and interests involved, right from project design to the closure and dismantling of the facility. The fundamental challenge is that of promoting the excellence of the various stakeholders in terms of the quality of their participation in order to achieve sustainable acceptability of the project, often in a modified form compared to its initial conception.