Impacts of a Changing Climate on the Saskatchewan economy and environment

The principal determinants of Saskatchewan's climate are its northerly latitude and its position in the middle of the North American continent, far from the moderating effect of large water bodies.

The result? A harsh and challenging climate. Cold winters and hot summers. Never the right amount of rain and snow - generally too little; on occasion, way too much.

Over the years, Saskatchewan people have adapted their way of life to lessen the impacts of their climate on their hopes and dreams.

All those who settled in Saskatchewan needed to learn how to deal with its harsh and challenging climate. Saskatchewan's First Nations learned the ways of the land and what nature could provide to those who knew her secrets. European settlement brought with it the plow, the axe and wholesale changes to large areas of the natural landscape. Both cultures, however, knew that watching and understanding the weather could mean the difference between prosperity and mere survival.