SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Existing community infrastructure is not enough to withstand the current effects of climate change across the North, a national team of researchers has found.

In a federally commissioned report released Nov. 26 titled True North: Adapting Infrastructure to Climate Change in Northern Canada, the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy recommends 16 ways federal, territorial and aboriginal governments can help Northern communities adapt to shorter winters, loss of sea ice, melting permafrost, ice roads and increased chances of wildfires.

David McLaughlin, president and CEO of the roundtable, said three teams travelled to Whitehorse, Inuvik and Gjoa Haven beginning in 2007 to consult with community officials and to study infrastructure and emergency preparedness.

"Our research found that, first of all, climate change is real and is happening in the North. Second of all, communities are not as prepared as they need to be to deal with it," he said.

The report, which came the day Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced he would attend the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, next month, recommends the development of Northern-specific building codes, more resources for Northern weather stations and an improved insurance system in case of disasters.

"Adaptation is about the here and now of climate change." said McLaughlin "It's local. It's immediate. Whatever kind of carbon we don't put in the atmosphere 10 years from now or five years from now or even next year, that won't change any of the problems that are already going to happen because of the carbon that's already there."

For example, he said, climate change is causing shorter seasons for ice roads, which leads to more reliance on airlifting supplies, which in turn is more expensive for the communities and increases emissions. Melting permafrost and eroding shorelines also mean unstable building foundations that could put people's lives in danger.

"It's a security issue for people," he said. "How can you have modern, secure communities if the infrastructure is at risk of failure?"

Researchers worked on the report for two years, consulting with Northerners every step of the way, McLaughlin said.

"We really wanted to make sure, and I think we succeeded, in not having this be a message imposed on the North. The issue was told to the roundtable by Northerners saying that this is something that we have to address," he said. "The North is living this in a way I don't think the south has a full appreciation of."

Premier Floyd Roland's office was going through the 160-page report late last week and is expected to comment early this week.

The GNWT's most recent Greenhouse Gas Strategy, updated in 2007, focuses on ways the territory can reduce emissions from its own operations by 10 per cent below 2001 levels. It will be up for review in 2010 to establish long-term targets.

Ecology North's Doug Ritchie said the Yellowknife-based non-profit supports the GNWT's promotion of alternative energy and energy conservation projects it announced in its 2009 budget.

"We think those are good. The problem that we have with them is that these initiatives alone will probably not get us to go where we need to go. There's increasing evidence that government spending by itself will not lead to emissions reduction," Ritchie said.

To be more effective, Ritchie said the government needs to introduce a carbon tax and impose emissions standards for equipment such as vehicles, washing machines and new homes.

"We really do need to get serious very, very quickly," he said. "The GNWT has put a significant amount of money into getting people to essentially invest in alternative energy, but that investment may not translate into reductions as fast as we need it to be."