The Yukon’s 2023 State of the Environment report released

Today, the Minister of Environment Nils Clarke tabled the State of the Environment report for 2023 in the Yukon Legislative Assembly. The report tracks environmental indicators that show trends in the Yukon’s environment through the lens of climate change, air, water, land and fish and wildlife indicators.

The report includes information as of the end of the 2022 calendar year. This year’s report includes three new indicators, which are avian influenza, biodiversity and groundwater levels in the Yukon Observation Well Network.

Climate change findings in the 2023 State of the Environment report include:

• climate change is decreasing the amount of arctic sea ice and impacting precipitation levels and temperatures in the territory;
• the Yukon is maintaining overall good air quality;
• snow accumulation and groundwater levels are generally increasing;
• the Yukon is increasing the percentage of protected lands and waters; and
• fewer salmon are reaching their spawning grounds.

The report is used as a baseline for environmental planning, assessment and regulation and to help guide future decision-making. It supports the Yukon government, environmental researchers, industry, businesses, and other government agencies with scientific data to make evidence-based decisions and take environmental action.