Image: Lisa Koperqualuk/Makivik Corporation
In the last 30 years, the Arctic Sea ice has been declining along with a gradual decrease in snowfall. The retreat of sea ice continues with scientists predicting that by 2100 the Arctic Ocean will be mainly ice-free in the summer. This will have numerous effects on the planet including changes to the ocean circulation and a rise in sea levels. As the ice declines so does the habitat for flora and fauna. Many animals dependent on ice, such as polar bears, penguins, seals, walruses and whales, are already at risk of extinction.
Northern communities also face changes as they lose their natural resources they are seeing their traditional livelihoods and culture eroding. The Inuit are also facing health challenges as pollutants make their way into the north and growing pressure for oil and mining exploration.
Canadian Inuit recently attended the Inuit Circumpolar Conference held this May in the Central American country of Belize. While it may seem incongruous to have a meeting about the Arctic in a tropical country, the Inuit have been forging a special bond with the Maya of Belize since 1988 when they began advising the Maya on the land claim process.
Four of the six Arctic aboriginal Inuit living in Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Russia were represented at the conference but also attending where officials from small island governments such as Fiji, French Polynesia and some Caribbean countries. The United Nations Environment Program funded the three-day event.
While climates may differ, indigenous communities in the north and south share many of the same concerns. Their coastal communities are vulnerable to rising sea levels and they are both experiencing the aftermath of extreme weather.
It’s hoped that by working together these small island states and the Arctic aboriginal will have greater clout on the international stage.
“They often get left out,” said Joan Eamer, polar program manager for the United Nations program. "We continue to advocate on the Canadian position to strengthen it," she said. "We would like the Canadian government to be a leader on climate change."
For many of these indigenous communities, climate change is a human rights issue. The Inuit Circumpolar Conference has taken its case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an arm of the Organization of American States, charging that slow action on the issue from countries such as the United States violates their human rights by destroying their way of life.
This week the Dene of the Northwest Territories and Inuit are meeting in Nunavut to discuss the pros and cons of uranium mining in the North.
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