Environment

The North has wildlife that exists almost nowhere else. Caribou herds numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Grizzlies. Wolves. Moose. Musk oxen.

People want to see this. They'll pay to see this.

But tourism has costs.

The Tourism Landscape:

Yukon:

• ~500,000 visitors/year (pre-pandemic)
• Northern lights, Klondike heritage, wilderness
• Cruise ships to Skagway bring day-trippers
• Tourism: Significant economic sector

Alaska:

The Arctic is warming approximately four times faster than the global average.

This is not a future threat. This is happening now.

And Yukon and Alaska are experiencing it firsthand.

What's Happening:

Permafrost Thaw:

• Ground that has been frozen for thousands of years is melting
• Buildings, roads, airports are destabilizing
• Infrastructure repair costs escalating
• Some communities face relocation

Temperature Changes:

The North is rich. The North is fragile. Managing these two truths is the central challenge of northern governance.

What We Have:

Yukon:

• Significant mineral deposits (gold, silver, zinc, lead, copper)
• Mining as major economic sector
• Sustainable forestry (limited)
• Fisheries (primarily subsistence/recreational)

Alaska:

BC and Oregon sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Hawaii IS volcanic — the islands literally wouldn't exist without volcanoes.

This creates risks. It also creates opportunities.

The Volcanic Landscape:

British Columbia:

• Multiple volcanic complexes (most dormant, not extinct)
• Mount Garibaldi, Mount Meager, Mount Edziza
• Cascade volcanoes extend into BC
• Last major eruption: ~2,400 years ago (Mount Meager)
• Geothermal potential: Significant, underdeveloped

Oregon:

BC gets tourists. Oregon gets tourists. Hawaii REALLY gets tourists.

Tourism is economic blessing and environmental curse. How do we balance this?

The Numbers:

British Columbia:

• ~6 million international visitors/year (pre-pandemic)
• Tourism revenue: $20+ billion
• Hotspots: Vancouver, Whistler, Victoria, Tofino
• Challenge: Seasonal concentration, over-tourism in hotspots

Oregon:

BC has clean electricity. Oregon is getting there. Hawaii is trying but struggling.

Together, we could be a renewable energy superpower.

Current Energy Profiles:

British Columbia:

We have, collectively, some of the most spectacular temperate rainforest on Earth. We also have, in Hawaii, irreplaceable tropical ecosystems found nowhere else.

We've already lost too much. The question is what we protect going forward.

What We Have:

British Columbia:

Salmon don't recognize borders. They're born in freshwater streams, migrate to the Pacific, roam for years, then return to the exact stream of their birth to spawn and die.

This journey takes them through BC waters, Oregon waters, Washington waters (yes, Washington exists), and past Hawaii (the ocean part).

If any species embodies the case for unified Pacific coast management, it's salmon.

The Current Crisis:

Let's not sugarcoat this: Pacific salmon are in trouble.

BC:

Let's address the elephant in the room. Or rather, the marijuana plant in the room.

BC has a... reputation.

The Historical Context:

British Columbia:

BC Bud was a brand before legalization made it a taxable commodity. The Gulf Islands, the Kootenays, Vancouver Island — these regions developed cannabis cultivation into an art form. Underground, yes. Illegal, technically. But undeniably influential.

This might be the most natural area of partnership—because the water doesn't care about borders.

The Shared Watershed:

Manitoba and Minnesota share critical water systems: