Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 29/99) - Polar bears at Churchill are starving to death waiting for ice to form on Hudson Bay.

Peary Caribou in the High Arctic are starving because the snow is deeper and it takes too much energy to get to the scrawny plants they rely on to survive the winter.

The Arctic ice cap is thinning at the alarming rate of four inches a year.

Scientists believe there is one cause for these three seemingly different things -- global warming.

At one time the warming of the planet was little more in the public's mind than a scientific theory. In the North, more than any other part of the planet, it is quickly becoming a reality.

As part of a worldwide effort to reduce the causes of warming, the NWT and other Canadian provinces and territories are developing plans to reduce pollution that causes warming.

The NWT's plan is complicated by timing. It's attempt to cut back on pollution caused by things such as vehicles, planes, power plants and industrial machinery comes at a time when it is on the verge of a mining and oil and gas industry boom.

"To be realistic, a diamond mine is not going to be refused because it emits greenhouse gases," said Emery Paquin, director of the territory's environmental protection branch.

"It's just not going to happen in this economic climate."

'Greenhouse' gases, produced by all fuel-burning engines, collect in the atmosphere trapping in the sun's heat. Mining and oil and gas production and refining produce huge amounts of greenhouse gases. The territorial government estimates its greenhouse gas emissions will increase by 70 per cent over 1996 levels in the next 13 years because of new mining and oil and gas projects.

Paquin said the aim of the territorial plan is to make sure new industrial development in the North is as energy efficient as possible.

"When a project is reviewed one of the things this group looks for is energy efficiency ... have they taken the steps to use the latest technology to reduce their energy consumption," said Paquin.

As an example, he noted the power plant at Diavik is designed to allow heat from the engines to be used in other ways. The engines used at the mine are of the latest, most energy-efficient design.

Energy efficiency is good business for remote mines, considering fuel is among the biggest operating expenses.

But a member of the working group that's developing a plan to control greenhouse gas emissions in the North said the government should be trying harder to steer away from a future dependency on mining and gas and oil development.

"It's extremely important," said environmentalist Chris O'Brien. "There's no point in us setting ourselves up to depend on oil and gas and mining."

O'Brien predicted that as the effects of global warming are felt more and more, governments will be required by law to meet specific targets for reducing emissions, regardless of the economic benefits of prospective greenhouse gas- producing projects.

But Paquin said some projects, at least natural gas developments in the North, will lower North American emissions. Natural gas produced in the Fort Liard area will be piped down to the U.S. for consumption.

Natural gas releases 32 per cent less greenhouse gases than diesel fuel.

"Our increase in emissions will cause a decrease in emissions in other areas," said Paquin. "What we're dealing with is a global issue."

The territorial government has set no targets for limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Paquin said he did not know if targets would be part of a plan on limiting emissions the government, private industry, aboriginal groups and environmentalists are preparing. The plan is scheduled to be completed by March 2000.