I've heard Buck Sharpton talk now three times in two days. Sharpton is the university's vice chancellor for research in Fairbanks and helps set the research agenda at UAF. I interviewed him yesterday about the first meeting of Gov. Sarah Palin's subcabinet on climate change, on which he sits, then heard him give a speech to the Fairbanks chamber of commerce about university research. This morning he welcomed scientists to the big boreal forest conference happening at UAF. Each time, he's described climate change as a set of opportunities as well as challenges. Twice he mentioned how the decrease in ice pack could open a northern shipping route between Europe and Asia. "Barrow might turn out to be a very important activity point," he told me.
This morning, he sort of deflated his own balloon. He said he usually thought of opportunities and challenges, but when it came to the boreal forest, pretty much just saw challenges -- wildfires, insects, diseases.
"If there's a silver lining in this cloud," he said, "I would certainly like to hear it."
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