On November 1st and 2nd of 2013, citizens, activists, experts, and decision-makers came together in Saskatoon to learn and talk about climate change—the threats it poses and the urgent actions required if we are to escape its most damaging effects. This is a special report on the proceedings of those two days, and on the observations of the Commissioners who generously listened with care to the testimony. In the first quarter of 2014 the Commissioners worked with Peter Prebble, Director of Environmental Policy for the Saskatchewan Environmental Society and others on the Organizing Committee to produce and publicize this report, with a focus on climate change in Canada’s prairies, and on the actions needed at every level in order to avoid the most damaging impacts of climate change.

Table of Contents:

Summary of Testimony

1. Stories of Citizens Who are Changing Their Life Path to Help Prevent Climate Change (p 1)

 2. Global Observations of Climate Change Impacts To Date (p 2)

3. Recent Observations and Future Projections of Climate Change Impacts in Saskatchewan (p 7)

4. Changes to the Global Hydrological Cycle Driven by Climate Change and the Implications for the Canadian Prairies (p 12)

5. Predicted Consequences of Climate Change at the Global Level (p 16)

 6. Urgent Action Needed to Avoid a 2 Degree Centigrade Increase in Average Global Temperature and the Dangers That Come With It (p 21)

 7. Climate Change – The Defining Moral Issue of Our Times (p 23)

 8. First Nations Leadership in Challenging Corporate Practices that Cause Greenhouse Gas

Pollution (p 30 )

9. Steps the Saskatchewan Government Should Take to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions (p 32)

10. The Need for Federal Government Leadership on Climate Change (p 38)

11. The Importance of a Strong Relationship with Nature (p 41)

 12. Building a Low-Carbon Local Community: Actions at the Household and Municipal Level (p 44)

13. Ecological Justice (p 58)