内容摘要：This image released by Universal Pictures shows, from left, Sally Phillips, James Callis, Renée Zellweger, and Shirley Henderson in a scene from “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.” (Jay Maidment/Universal Pictures via AP)

This image released by Universal Pictures shows, from left, Sally Phillips, James Callis, Renée Zellweger, and Shirley Henderson in a scene from “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.” (Jay Maidment/Universal Pictures via AP)

Churchill Mayor Mike Spence, a member of the Cree First Nation, poses for a portrait, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, at the Seaport Hotel in Churchill, Manitoba. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)Spence grew up with the military installation “and all of a sudden it closes and then all of a sudden you get the tourists, the abundance of wildlife and the aurora. That’s where you take advantage of it. You sort of tweak things and you improve life.”

The shuttered port and the damaged train tracks? The town took them over and got both running again. Ground sinking because the weather is getting rainier and permafrost is thawing? New buildings like the ones at Polar Bears International, a nonprofit conservation organization with headquarters in the city, have metal jacks that can be adjusted when a corner sinks nearly half a foot in five years.Tourists take photos of Hudson Bay while standing on an old whaling boat, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Churchill, Manitoba. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)Tourists take photos of Hudson Bay while standing on an old whaling boat, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Churchill, Manitoba. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Lauren Sorkin, executive director of the Resilient Cities Network, said every city should have a plan to adapt to climate change’s effect on economy and tourism.“Churchill is a standout example of a city that is planning ahead to protect communities and preserve our natural environment and its biodiversity,” she said.

Spence, who is Cree, grew up with no electricity or running water in “the flats” on the outskirts of town, which was run by a white minority. Churchill is about two-thirds Indigenous with Cree, Metis, Inuit and Dene. Spence recalls his father saying that if only he spoke better English he could tell officials how to fix the town.

“I think I’m doing that for him,” Spence said. “You don’t just say ‘I got a problem.’ You go there with the fix.”It doesn’t hurt that the whales have gotten to know Greene. Vergara has no doubt that they know her.

Erin Greene, left, owner of Sup North, directs a person while leading a paddleboarding tour, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Churchill, Manitoba. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)Erin Greene, left, owner of Sup North, directs a person while leading a paddleboarding tour, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Churchill, Manitoba. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

The Churchill River, left, empties into the Hudson Bay, right, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, near Churchill, Manitoba. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)The Churchill River, left, empties into the Hudson Bay, right, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, near Churchill, Manitoba. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)