The Earth has been steadily warming over the past century, and Edmonton is no exception — its temperatures are rising at an even faster rate.
This chart shows Edmonton's average yearly temperatures between 1900 and 2020, using data from Environment and Climate Change Canada. Each stripe marks one year. The red half of the spectrum represents hotter temperatures, which are particularly visible in most recent years.
While the global average temperature has risen by approximately 1 C in the past 100 years, Edmonton's has increased by 1.7 C, reported the Edmonton Journal in 2018. Speaking to council's executive committee on April 12, deputy city manager Stephanie McCabe said "Edmonton is one of the fastest warming regions in the world."
It isn't unusual for an urban environment to heat up faster than the world as a whole. Due to the urban heat island effect, a city the size of Edmonton tends to be 1 C to 3 C hotter than the surrounding area, because of solar radiation absorbed by concrete, the density of car traffic, and lower volumes of vegetation. When a city expands, like Edmonton has, the urban heat island effect grows stronger.
McCabe said temperatures rising at the current rate will result in more severe storms, temperature extremes, and will put the city at a greater risk of flooding in the future.
In order to mitigate these effects, city administration is proposing a revised Energy Transition Strategy, which aims to make the city carbon neutral by 2050.
This chart is part of Taproot's contribution to Covering Climate Now, a global journalism initiative committee to more and better coverage of the defining story of our time. For more discussion on the local response to this issue, sign up for our listening session on April 22.