4 Canadian Cities Are Most Likely To Feel Climate Change By 2050 & Toronto Is The Worst

A new index is looking at how certain changes could affect places around the world. Climate change in Canada is most likely to have the worst impact on four cities by 2050. If nothing is done to stop or reduce climate change, there are some major impacts that could be felt in the future.

The 2050 Climate Change City Index put out by Nestpick aims to figure out how global warming could take hold in major metropolises around the world. 

Cities ranked in the index are destinations that could face the biggest shifts by the time the middle of the century comes around. These include temperature changes, water shortages and rising water levels.

"Millennials, Gen Z-ers and those even younger will increasingly need to keep climate change in mind when searching for the city they would like to eventually settle in," said Omer Kucukdere, Nestpick's CEO, in a statement.

Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary are the only Canadian spots on the list. Though Ontario's capital has it worse than the others.

Ranked 14th, the 6ix is expected to see the average temperature rise by 3.02 C by 2050 and its climate type could shift from a continental humid warm summer to a temperate humid warm summer. 

That means going from having large seasonal temperature differences with hot summers and cold winters to less extreme changes and more precipitation.

Ottawa and Montreal are ranked 33rd and 34th respectively when it comes to how climate change will impact them.

Both could see an average temperature increase of more than 3 C. 

Ottawa will go from a continental humid cold summer to a continental humid hot summer.

Montreal will go from a continental humid warm summer to a continental humid hot summer.

That hot classification is usually limited to small parts of southeast Canada but more regions could see the average temperature in the warmest month of the year go above 22 C.

Of the major Canadian cities included in the index, Calgary is the lowest on the list.

Ranked in the 68th spot, its climate type won't change from a continental humid warm summer but they could see the average temperature rise by 2.14 C by 2050.

"Governments need to be aware of potential changes coming so that they can mitigate damage. Proper funding into infrastructure and safeguarding would help to ensure that these cities stay ahead of climate-related problems, and ensure the livelihood of these urban centres for future generations," said Kucukdere.

Toronto has a climate shift score of 88.29, Ottawa is at 47.45, Montreal is evenly at 46 and Calgary is lower at 17.46 which shows how extreme the changes to temperature, precipitation and climate type could be.