Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 31/99) - In recent years, global warming has become a concern the world over.

When people think about it, they usually think of the bad connotations associated with it, such as rising sea levels and its effects on the environment and agriculture.

For the North, however, where people spend much of the year shrouded in sub-zero temperatures, one might think that global warming would have more of an upside than a downside. To find out if this might be the case, several people in various Northern communities were asked if global warming might not be such a bad thing after all.

For Bob Rowe in Inuvik, global warming would seem to generate more problems than it would be worth in longer summer days.

"People would enjoy the warmth," Rowe muses, "but all the ice would melt and the town would flood."

Lyda Greer in Hay River appears to be equally skeptical.

"I would like to see taller trees and greener grass," says Greer, "but there would be more bulldog flies and the snow would turn to ice so the caribou wouldn't be able to feed."

For Simon Hogaluk in Cambridge Bay, however, a longer summer might not be too bad at all.

"If summer was longer, we would have more time to go whale hunting," Hogaluk says. "It's so short up here that it makes it hard to get enough time to do that because they are so far away."

Clayton Burke in Fort Smith and Grace McAdam in Fort Simpson concur.

"We would burn less fossil fuels in the winter for heat," says Burke. "Birds would extend their range in the North and there would be more pleasant days in the winter. There would be more bugs in the summer, but that's all right because they would feed the birds."

"It would be nice if we had a longer growing season," McAdam adds. "We wouldn't have to buy as much fresh produce at the store. It would be nice if we could grow fresh flowers for longer."

Suzan Akikuluk in Arctic Bay sees the possibility of warmer weather as a great excuse to do some more camping.

"I would go camping more in the summer," says Akikuluk. "I'd also be able to do more camping in the winter."

Apparently, Jeeteetah Merkosak in Rankin Inlet has mixed feelings about global warming in the North.

"You wouldn't have to wear heavy jackets so much if it was warmer," says Merkosak. "But I don't think that I would like it because I wouldn't be used to it, and the kids would stay outside instead of going to school."

Irene Blackduck in Rae Lakes appears to feel the same way about a little added heat.

"We like the winter more than the summer," says Blackduck. "We like to go snowmobiling and take the kids for a picnic."

Meanwhile, Kevin Anderson in Resolute is apparently one person who doesn't have much of a problem with global warming.

"It would be nice to get some trees up here," Anderson laughs. "Maybe the grass will grow too."