Focus on the Northwest Territories and Yukon at the “World Of Solutions”
Getting the message out on climate change is the focus of the exhibit co-hosted by the provinces of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. They are working closely with partners, such as aboriginal organizations and non-government organizations, to develop innovative ways to improve energy efficiency and increase public awareness of climate change.
Robert Collins, from the Yukon Government Department of Energy, Mines and Resources was interviewed on site.
Question: What message are you trying to give to delegates and the general public?
Robert Collins:
In the North, we really want to demonstrate that we are all working together to tackle climate change issues.
Question: What do you want people to know about the impact of change in the Yukon or Northwest Territories?
Robert Collins:
We see that the North has already been dramatically affected by climate change. For example, we are dealing with an invasion of the “bark beetle”; in the Yukon the beetles are devastating the forests. If the winter temperatures are not cold enough, the beetles survive.
As well, the permafrost is melting. We also see more glaciers melting and we are worried about what will happen in a few decades when the glacial coverage will become smaller.
We can see more landslides due to more intense and frequent storms. The impact is also more drastic for indigenous people – they get 80% of their diet from the land but due to changes in annual temperature range, it’s getting more difficult to hunt and fish.
Question: What actions are you taking to adapt to the impacts of change?
Robert Collins:
We are doing things about climate change. We are pursuing energy efficiency initiatives and we have been recognized as a leader in energy efficiency. In partnership with the federal government, we deliver a lot of programs such as the EnerGuide for Houses and we have the highest rate of penetration in Canada.
Regardless of what we are doing, we need to take adaptation measures. We need to change how we are doing things, and develop new technologies.
Related Links:
