WINNIPEG - The winner of a major scientific award for his work on Arctic glaciers and climate change says Canadians need to start talking and listening to each other on the problem of global warming.

University of Alberta researcher John England has been named winner of the $50,000 Weston Family prize for northern research.

England, who has seen first-hand how climate change is affecting the Arctic, says the issue is real and will force Canada to make economic and lifestyle changes.

But he adds Canadians also have to make a living and fossil fuels will be a significant industry for years to come.

England says the public debate has to move beyond extreme positions on both sides.

He was awarded his prize in Winnipeg