The visit of an American delegation of senators to explore the impacts of climate change on the North didn't do anything to advance the Yukon's policy on the environment, says Lewis Rifkind, a member of the Yukon Conservation Society.

'It's sort of business as usual,' Rifkind said in an interview Tuesday, adding there was no mention of the Yukon's commitments to the Kyoto accord.

The territory could have gotten a bit more out of the visit if the Yukon Party government had come forward with an action plan to deal with climate change, Rifkind added.

The Yukon Party has received several criticisms on its stance on the environment.

Environment Minister Peter Jenkins has brushed off the need to reduce emissions in the Yukon, saying the territory is not a major producer.

'You might even refer to (the Yukon) as a cesspool of waste from other areas of the world,' Jenkins told the legislature in the spring.

Premier Dennis Fentie told the Star Tuesday that the visit of the senators was a 'great opportunity' for the Yukon.

The impacts of climate change are very clear and severe in the North, said Fentie. The senators' visit provided an opportunity not just to highlight those impacts but to represent the Yukon to an American audience.

'We are starting to see and recognize some of the benefits of collaborative relationships,' said Fentie.

The territory is becoming much more involved on a national and international level, and that will be very important for the future of the Yukon, he added.

Yukon MP Larry Bagnell agreed the visit was very productive in that it enabled the Yukon to build a good relationship and interact with possible future leaders of the United States.

It's widely expected that either Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) or John McCain (R-Ariz.), who led the delegation, will be the next American president after the 2008 election.

The Yukon has never before had an opportunity to so directly illustrate the concerns of the territory to such high-ranking American officials, said Bagnell. There was no political advantage for them to stop in the territory, he added.

Bagnell spent Monday with Rodham Clinton and McCain. He spoke to them on issues such as mining, tourism, first nation self-government and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Much of the senators' foray was behind schedule because they took the time to talk to people, and it was clear from conversation they understood concerns in the Yukon, said Bagnell.

Regarding the visit's true purpose, Fentie stated it's clear from research that human factors are accelerating the natural phenomenon of global warming. The government will continue to represent factors in the Yukon that are affected by climate change, he added.

The Yukon and Canada don't produce much of the greenhouse gas emissions in the world, said Bagnell, yet are clearly affected by them.

Canada has a very aggressive action plan on climate and will continue to work within those guidelines, he added.

When asked in the spring what the Yukon's plan to combat climate change would be, Jenkins tabled the federal government's Moving Forward on Climate Change: A Plan for Honouring our Kyoto Commitment as an outline of the territory's responsibilities. However, there is no specific reference to provinces' or territories' roles beyond a need to work in partnership.

Rifkind said the Yukon needs to explore why the territory uses so much energy, look at why oil is still being used to heat, and determine if buildings are insulated well enough. There also needs to be a serious discussion on whether the Yukon really needs a fossil fuel industry, he added.

'We ship them south and all we get back is melting permafrost,' he said.

Though Rifkind was disappointed with the lack of progress on the Yukon government's stance, he felt the senators' trip was worthwhile.

'Hopefully, it will spur on their efforts,' he said.

During a press conference Tuesday, the senators told reporters they were amazed by the devastation caused by climate change in the Yukon, drawing specific reference to the spruce bark beetle kill areas in the Kluane region.

'It seems very clear that the evidence is strong that that has been caused by a warming of the climate,' said Senator Susan Collins (R-Me.). 'It was an incredible example of the devastation that climate change causes.'

The delegation visited the Alligator ice patch, toured beetle kill areas and met with elders in the village of Klukshu.

'In terms of global climate change, of all the places I've been, this put a personal face on the problem,' said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Prior to the visit of the American delegation, Rifkind had told the Star he hoped the senators would be meeting with elders to gain a better understanding of the changes that have actually occurred in relation to climate over the past decades.

The delegation meet with several first nation leaders during their tour. They also attended a dinner co-hosted by the Arctic Athabaskan Council and the Council of Yukon First Nations on Monday night which presented further concerns and policy suggestions regarding climate change.

Phone calls placed to the various first nation chiefs and officials who met with the delegation were not returned at the time of publication.

However, Andy Carville, the CYFN's grand chief, was reached this morning and agreed the visit has provided a chance to develop relationships for looking at the impacts of global warming.

There has been a commitment from Lewis Lukens, U.S. Consul General, to work together with the first nations to look at solutions, said Carvill.

It was important that the senators had the opportunity to see firsthand the impacts of global warming, he added.

Carvill said the council's key concern is to assist communities in adapting to changes. He added that the meeting with the American delegation sent a message of the need to work together and across jurisdictions.

'At least it's opening the doors.'

Rifkind hoped the senators would see the beetle kill areas.

For people coming from the South, the shock of seeing the impact of climate change in the North is usually apparent, because they aren't experiencing as visible changes, said Rifkind.

Rodham Clinton said she was impressed with the visit to the Yukon, because it really enabled the delegation to hear the human stories about climate change.

'We have to keep focused on the evidence and not make it a political issue, but try to keep it the realm of what you can see and feel and touch and what's happening and how people can describe it,' she said.

'We hope we can be of some help as we return to the United States and engage and debate,' added the former U.S. first lady.

Bagnell said the senators will now have clear evidence they can use in debates, which will hopefully help get climate change policy through in the United States.

Being able to tell other politicians and policy makers about the real-life examples they've experienced will give the delegation the opportunity to clearly argue that climate change is not just theoretical, he said.