Arctic nations must act at UN climate change conference: ministers

Foreign affairs ministers from Canada and seven other Arctic countries wrapped up top-level meetings in Norway on Wednesday, having been urged to make commitments to fight climate change at an upcoming United Nations conference later this year.

Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Jonas Store led the meetings of the Arctic Council this week in Tromso, Norway, and also co-hosted a meeting Tuesday on melting ice with former U.S. vice-president Al Gore.

Store said his colleagues from other Arctic nations need to secure firm commitments from their governments to take serious action on climate change, such as making deep cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions, at the upcoming United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen in December.

"From what we've learned of the effects of global warming, there's absolutely no excuse to be complacent or to say that we have more time," Store said Wednesday.

"We have to take this back to our governments, share it with our prime ministers and presidents and environment minister colleagues. This is very serious. We have to act, and Copenhagen is our opportunity."

Store said the latest scientific estimates on the effects ofglobal warming such as shrinking sea ice and rising sea levels now exceed the worst-case scenarios from several years ago.

Northern Canadian leaders also attended this week's talks in Tromso, including Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak, N.W.T. Premier Floyd Roland and Yukon deputy premier Elaine Taylor.

Plans to help northern residents adapt

Aariak said she was impressed by what she called "a renewed energy to really tackle the issues of climate change."

"There's a lot of talk about a need for action and implementation and having more strategic plans as opposed to reactionary ones," she said.

Aariak added that while it's clear that climate change continues to happen, there is a will to develop partnerships and plans to help Arctic residents adapt to the changes.

While in Norway on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon announced the Canadian government will set up a Canadian International Centre for the Arctic Region in Oslo. The centre will open this fall.

Federal officials say the centre will allow Canada to maintain close contact with the Arctic Council Secretariat in nearby Tromso, and will serve as the hub of all international Arctic research in the region.

One of the government's goals in establishing the centre is to help to develop Canada's Arctic foreign policy while in close proximity to six of the eight Arctic Council member nations, including Russia.

Officials say Canada also hopes to identify trade and commercial opportunities for the North and northerners.