Scientists turn to Inuit for climate clues

For years Inuit have called upon the scientific community to incorporate our expertise when conducting environmental research on our Arctic homelands, and I’m glad to see that science is now paying closer attention to the valuable knowledge and experience of Inuit.

Temperatures in some parts of the Arctic have risen more, and much faster than anywhere else on the planet. Inuit are the first to experience, first hand, the effects of these rising temperatures. Our shorelines are eroding, ice cover is shrinking, animals migration patterns have shifted, weather patterns are changing, and community infrastructure is being impacted - all within a single generation – affecting our people, ecosystem, and livelihood.

As we experience these changes taking place in our Arctic homeland, we are also in a position to share that knowledge and assist in policy development in the mitigation, and yes, adaptation of these very real climate change effects.

Our knowledge of the land, the waters, the ice, and the wildlife are not only useful in tracking what has happened; they are invaluable assets in determining what adaptation measures will have the greatest chance of success within the Arctic – and setting precedent to the global community.

We stand ready and willing to work with international political leadership, and science, to bring our valuable knowledge and experience to use.