Yellowknife (May 01/06) - Science journalist Andrew Nikiforuk says the North should avoid southern Canada's "grotesque addiction" to fossil fuels as it develops its own oil and gas industry.

Journalist Andrew Nikiforuk speaks during the Science and the Changing North conference in Yellowknife last week. Nikiforuk warned Northerners not to adopt southern Canada's "grotesque addiction" to oil. - Chris Windeyer/NNSL photo

Nikiforuk, author of a book and frequent articles on the environmental and social impacts of Alberta's oil and gas industry, was responding to public questions at the Science and the Changing North conference at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife April 26.

"The whole development would be tied to getting the North off fossil fuels," Nikiforuk said.

Alberta's booming economy, flush with oil money, contains environmental costs unacknowledged by the provincial government and petroleum industry, Nikiforuk argued.

He questions if it's wise for the North to pursue an industry that could push climate change and potentially grave consequences for the Arctic.

Natural gas from the Mackenzie Valley would largely be used to fire oil sands development in Alberta.

By 2020, the oil sands will consume one-fifth of Canada's natural gas. The process of extracting oil from the sands requires two barrels of natural gas for every barrel of oil it produces.

The consumption of that oil would further climate change, Nikiforuk said.

"That's a political question Northerners need to ask themselves."

Nikiforuk also said the national media hasn't done enough work discussing the costs of oil production, including climate change. There isn't a daily newspaper in the country with a full-time science and environment reporter, he said.

"My trade spends more time talking about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie than climate change," Nikiforuk said. "That's amazing. We're fiddling while Rome is burning."

"The tipping point on climate change is here and the media by and large missed it."

He urged the territory to limit the scope of development to specific areas surrounded by broad swathes of protected areas.

The NWT should also be sure to stash away royalties in a heritage fund, much in the way Alberta does, Nikiforuk said.