In the break-out discussions, all sectors expressed the need to know more about how various parts of the environment react to climate change. Although there is frustration at not confidently knowing exactly how our climate will change in the near future, our understanding of environmental sensitivity to climate change is improving. The understanding of how particular game species fit into ecosystems and the sensitivity of these ecosystems to climate change is benefiting increasingly from the combination of aboriginal knowledge and scientific studies. Agencies responsible for providing services, facilities or operations which are vulnerable to climate change are also interested in a better understanding of how terrain and water will react to climate variability.

Connecting sources of data, analyses, and interpretations with those needing information or advice is fundamental to promoting climate change adaptation. Local experience, practice and knowledge were also identified as crucial to thorough research on climate change and climate change impacts on the environment. Organizations already exist (colleges, research and monitoring initiatives) that are addressing these objectives locally or regionally. The Northern Climate Exchange (NEC) program at Yukon College is currently the most directed activity promoting climate change awareness and communication with a mandate to cover the entire North. The NEC has conducted an evaluation of the state of climate change awareness and knowledge of climate change effects for all three territories. Of necessity, it has limited other efforts, such as community consultation, to Yukon. However, it serves as a model for a facility to coordinate communication and research on climate impacts and adaptation for the entire North.

Interest in the impacts of climate change falls into two broad categories, based on how easy it is to understand the scope and magnitude of those impacts:

1. Ecosystem response and the effects of climate change on game species, forage, and fisheries. Interest in this sector is based primarily with aboriginal organizations, communities, academia and government research branches. It is the category where aboriginal knowledge is most able to contribute to the formulation of research questions and observations on the behaviour, distribution or condition of components of the environment. Interest in ecosystems is easily generated because ecosystem dependency on climate is obvious, government research mandates include the understanding of ecosystems and there is a subsistence economy based on ecosystem well-being. However, determining the sensitivities of plant or animal species to climate is difficult because of the dependence of individual plant, animal or fish species on other climate-sensitive environmental factors such as soil development, moisture, species competition and fire. Where aboriginal interests are engaged, it is essential to interpret research objectives and results in non-technical terms.

2. Infrastructure performance and impacts on industry. Interest in this category is varied, largely due to the difficulty of determining how thoroughly to adapt in the face of the uncertainty associated with climate projections. Public and private agencies responsible for providing transportation services are most aware of climate change impacts. The response of transportation infrastructure to climate change is usually direct because of the role that ice, either as lake and river ice or ground ice, plays in providing a stable foundation. Projected climate warming has been taken into account in foundation design but only as a projection of trends to date, not in anticipation of greenhouse gas effects. A pro-active approach may be especially necessary with industry, partly because of a lack of familiarity with current climate change research and partly due to a reluctance to incur the cost of adaptation without a clear understanding of the likelihood of a benefit.

Promoting impacts and adaptation research in the North

Most population centres in the North are small communities having a considerable dependence on a subsistence economy. Thus communities are likely to be interested in contributing to decisions on how to conduct ecosystem research and apply results. Public works operations and infrastructure maintenance also serves a small population and tends to be occupied primarily with daily and annual responsibilities. Industry and public works are aware of climate change as a disruptive factor and have experienced recent impacts of warmer than normal seasons. Although projections of climate are too uncertain to be fully factored in to future operations, these sectors are receptive to research, provided that economically beneficial results can be anticipated. Thus, with climate change impacts and adaptation research, a proactive approach is necessary to engage the involvement of communities and service providers alike.

No officially sponsored entity fulfilling the intentions of the Options Paper published by the Science, Impacts and Adaptation Group under the National Climate Change Secretariat (i.e. a CCIARN northern node) presently exists. The Northern Climate Exchange at Yukon College in Whitehorse is the only initiative in the North to date that exists to promote climate change awareness and adaptation across the entire Canadian arctic (although to maintain realistic goals given the small staffing, it is confining its outreach efforts to Yukon). At present it is assessing the state of knowledge about the sensitivity of sectors to climate change and is also seeking direction from selected Yukon communities as to requirements for information on climate change. The NCE would like to act as a repository and access point for observations, data and research results on climate and climate change. It has also identified an advisory role whereby inquiries would be received and answered by staff or referral to other information sources.

Given the present likelihood of only modest funding for a centre or node with a budget for research, promoting interest in climate change will require strategies for increasing the effectiveness of a climate change information centre. More than anything else, a proactive approach, as has been taken by the NCE, will be required. Engaging the cooperation of interested individuals (i.e. contacts from all sectors likely to be affected by climate change) as information sources or users may be fundamental to the successful operation of such a centre.

Strategies will probably be different for promoting the understanding of ecosystem vs. infrastructure adaptability. Research for understanding the way individual wildlife and plant species or ecosystems respond to climate variability is ongoing and extensive. Programs such as Northern Ecosystem Initiative, Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network, Mackenzie Valley Cumulative Impacts and Monitoring Program, the Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Society and northern college programs with climate change components all conduct or promote research and make available results. Interpretation and distribution of these results could be a major function of the information centre. Infrastructure construction and maintenance is the concern of public and private agencies. Both sectors deal with climate variability as required and are well aware of the impacts of climate variability. However, both industry and government will require a clear indication of the benefits before incorporating policies which may risk expenditures for uncertain outcomes. In the infrastructure case, adaptation to climate change may mean developing and encouraging practices which reduce rather than eliminate climate change impacts. An information centre could play an important role communicating the results of research and establishing links between university or government research groups and public or private agencies responsible for the provision of services.