When it is fully implemented, Action Plan 2000 will help move Canada one-third of the way toward meeting this goal of emission reduction. Subsequent plans, as well as actions by provinces, territories and industry, will bring it even closer. Decision makers require scientific information in order to negotiate Canada's international position on climate change, and to determine appropriate ways to address the issue domestically. They also study the impacts of climate change on natural and socioeconomic systems, and the ability of Canadian communities to adapt. Such research shows that our climate system is a complex balancing act involving the sun, atmosphere, oceans and land.
Solar radiation heats the earth and provides the energy that drives atmospheric circulation.
The atmosphere screens out the sun's harmful rays and acts as a storehouse for various gases and particles. Both air circulation patterns and the make-up of the atmosphere have a major influence on climate and weather systems. Ocean currents and atmospheric circulation patterns help to moderate high-latitude climates, such as Canada's, by transferring heat from the tropics toward the cooler poles. Continents and their features absorb or reflect the sun's energy and affect air currents. Humans have altered many different aspects of this climate system through economic and social development.