James Ford, a geographer at McGill University, Canada, believes it is now too late to prevent dangerous climate change in the Arctic. He says that it is essential that we reduce and stabilize greenhouse gas emissions to avoid runaway climate change in the Arctic, but even our best efforts are unlikely to prevent changes that are likely to be dangerous for Inuit. As a result he argues that we now have an obligation to reduce the vulnerability of Inuit people and help them to adapt to climate change.
Around 165,000 people identify themselves as Inuit, inhabiting Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Chukotka (Russia). The climate in these areas is severe, with very cold and long winters, and short, cool summers. Over many centuries these people have devised a way of living in such an extreme environment.
Sea ice is essential to this way of life; as a transportation link between communities and as a platform for hunting and fishing from. Rapid melting of sea-ice is a major threat to the Inuit lifestyle.
"With climate change what we are seeing is constrained access to hunting areas, which directly affects the availability of traditional foods," Ford told environmentalresearchweb. "We are also seeing hunting becoming more dangerous as the sea ice changes."
What's more, melting of permafrost is leaving some Inuit settlements bogged down in a muddy quagmire, with inhabitants unable to use traditional sleds and skis to move around.
In his paper in Environmental Research Letters, Ford argues that it is time that the rest of the world sits up and takes notice. "The Inuit can adapt to climate change, but only if support is provided," he said. "Many barriers are financial in nature, and as such surmountable." He goes further and argues that international human rights and climate treaties establish rights for Inuit that are being compromised with climate change, establishing a legal basis for adaptation support.
Autumn and late spring are likely to be the most difficult times of year for the Inuit – when the sea ice is freezing and breaking up respectively. To help Inuit through these difficult seasons Ford recommends developing new hunting trail networks, which access different areas, and changing the nature of hunting at these key times of year (using boats more, for example). He also suggests that new technology, such as GPS and satellite phones, could help to make hunting and travel safer.
Other changes need to happen at a government level, for example managing the wildlife population in ways that assist Inuit harvesting in a changing climate, investing in infrastructure that can withstand climate change impacts, and supporting the training of young Inuit with the new skills they need to survive in a changing climate.
Some communities may need to relocate due to sea level rise and permafrost thaw, and for others traditional lifestyle is likely to be severely curtailed. Nonetheless Ford says that a new and sustainable way of life for the Inuit is possible, but only if help is provided now.
In particular Ford stresses that international climate change funds should not be limited to developing countries, but should be accessible to all vulnerable people who need to devise ways of adapting. "The Inuit did not cause climate change, but they are experiencing the worst effects," he said.