If we could pick and choose, some of these changes might sound just great. Many Yukoners would happily say goodbye to long bouts of 40-degree weather, and what gardener would not welcome having a longer growing season. But unfortunately climate change is a package deal, and an enormously complicated one at that. A longer growing season also means a longer fire season. Also, the plants and animals living here are adapted to the climate that we have now, and a warmer climate could be less than ideal for them.
Some species can adapt to change more readily than others do.
Also climate change may favour certain species at the expense of others. For example, moose might fare better in a warmer world than caribou. Humans will also have to adapt to these changes, and facilitating this process is another focus for the Northern Climate ExChange. For example, building practices can be changed to anticipate problems with melting permafrost. Foresters can determine which species of trees will grow best north of 60 under warmer conditions, and use those species when replanting.