We must still take CLIMATE change seriously

I have just returned from a brief visit to Churchill, Man. It is the home of Canada's strategic northern inland port and I have been fortunate enough to visit it many times. Located on the coast of the Hudson Bay, it sits just south of Nunavut, and like its Arctic neighbours, it too is experiencing first-hand the dramatic and visible changes associated with a changing climate. I was there as part of series of meetings on the future development of the port. The thawing of the ice and an increase in shipping traffic will offer a communities like Churchill and those to the North a number of economic opportunities. There are plans underway to eventually develop an Arctic Gateway which will provide further prosperity and employment - a project of which both the federal and Manitoban governments have been supportive.

But while there will be opportunities, this does not offer us, as an Arctic nation, a free pass to shirk our responsibilities of maintaining the integrity of the Arctic eco-system and to make an honest effort at mitigating the harmful effects of climate change. We hear routinely of the effects of a changing climate on the cultures and livelihoods of the Inuit and we are all too familiar with the plight of the polar bears and beluga whales.

While in Churchill, I was shocked to see open water a mile off the coast, an unlikely vista for this time of the year. Upon discussions with a local museum curator, I learned of new insects appearing that would not have been present in decades past, not to mention more frequent sightings of killer whales, also uncommon in that region. These changes are all local symptoms of a global problem. They are dramatic and should be a powerful wake up call for Canadians.

A polar bear walks on the frozen tundra near Churchill, Man. While there will be economic opportunities with the melting ice, this does not offer us, as an Arctic nation, a free pass to ignore climate change.

It is for this reason that I, along with a chorus of newspaper columnists, academics, activists, and state representatives have found it necessary to express our disappointment at our government's decision to remove itself from the Kyoto climate talks and to relieve itself of our international commitment to reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions.

We have so much to lose by not taking the thought and care to participate in the solution and so much to gain by doing so. Our greenhouse gas emissions have risen to nearly 30 per cent above our Kyoto target and we are falling behind internationally. According to a National Roundtable on the Environment and Economy report released earlier this year, climate change also poses a significant challenge to the Canadian economy.

The good news is we don't need Kyoto to start addressing this problem locally. To make any substantial contribution, we will need the federal government to participate, but as individuals and as communities, we all need to make it a priority. Governments are not the only players.

For example (admittedly, one I am most familiar with), the University of Winnipeg - like postsecondary institutions across this country - has made an effort to become more sustainable. We committed to the targets that Canada had agreed to under the Kyoto Protocol because we recognize our obligations as a leader in our com-munity in sustainable practices and policies. We continue to work toward reducing the greenhouse emissions of our facilities to six per cent below 1990 levels by the end of 2012. It has been a real challenge, but not impossible despite a rapidly growing campus. We are replacing our natural-gas emitting boilers with a hybrid heating system, we have built a series of new buildings to LEED certification standards, and we have actively worked to reduce the amount of organic waste being sent to landfill. These are all well-established, proven methods that are within reach for any number of organizations.

At the provincial level, we should encourage and applaud efforts to mitigate emissions, such as those by B.C. and Quebec through the introduction of carbon taxes. So now is the time to demand from our current government what they have planned next. Canada can still play a leadership role in developing new and innovative solutions that can support the future prosperity of all Canadians. If we are to follow through on our Northern Strategy then we will have to take the threat of climate change to heart, for it is our responsibility. Our cultural, economic and natural prosperity is at stake.

There is little doubt that achieving international agreements on environmental protection can be frustratingly laborious and clumsy. But, as a state that prides itself on our wealth of natural resources and Arctic coastline, we need to ensure that we are seen to be taking a leadership role and helping to broker another international agreement. It is time that we all, as Canadians, take climate change seriously. Kyoto or not.

Former foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy is president and vicechancellor of the University of Winnipeg.

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