Today, Minister of Environment Nils Clarke tabled the Yukon State of the Environment interim report for 2022 in the Yukon Legislative Assembly. This report brings together scientific and technical data from across government organizations and helps identify trends about the health of the Yukon’s environment.
The 2022 report includes information available up until the end of the 2021 calendar year. It offers data on key indicators for the Yukon environment’s status spanning fish and wildlife, air, water, land, and climate change. Climate change highlights in the report include a significant loss of Arctic sea ice thickness and coverage, and projected rises in annual precipitation and temperatures over the next 50 years.
The annual report is an information-rich resource for environmental researchers, industry, businesses, and other government agencies.
Our environment is changing due to climate change impacts and a growing population. We must continue to monitor the state of our environment across our land, air and water so we can plan, adapt and take action. Equipped with detailed knowledge and data, we can better protect our territory to ensure it remains healthy for generations of Yukoners to come.
Minister of Environment Nils Clarke
The Yukon has been preparing State of the Environment reports since 1995.
Changes to the Yukon’s water systems highlighted in the report include an increase to the volumes of water contained in snowpack that becomes available when melting and earlier average river ice break up in the Yukon River.
The report also includes data on spawning salmon. As in 2020, the spawning escarpment goal for the Yukon River Chinook Salmon was not met in 2021, with an estimate of just over 31,000 fish reaching their spawning grounds in the Yukon.
Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca
Kyle Nightingale,
Communications, Environment
867-334-5922
kyle.nightingale@yukon.ca