Tonington lived in Rankin Inlet for four years, and in Pine Point for one. Not that it matters. The truth about polar bears isn't dependent on where I live, or where I've been. That's some wonky logic.
Hurt? You were the one talking about fear mongering. Just provide some evidence that the prevalence of cannibalism isn't rising. You said it was bull crap, but you have nothing empirical at all. It's a fantasy world you're living in if you think you've addressed your claim.
The status quo does not preserve the way of life for the Inuit.
Despite your protestations, researchers in fact are listening to the inhabitants of the Arctic, and incorporating their observations in research programs. Here's the Executive Summary from the
Observations by the Inuvialuit of Sachs Harbour support what has long been predicted―that climate change would be felt first in the Polar Regions. This community’s way of life is at risk, an urgent warning of the negative impacts of climate change predicted to occur elsewhere in the world.
On Banks Island in Canada’s High Arctic, Inuvialuit hunters and trappers have a close relationship with the natural world. As they travel over the tundra or harvest fish from the sea, they notice even the smallest changes to their environment. Recently, the changes have been significant and worrying. The climate has become unpredictable; the landscape unfamiliar.
Autumn freeze-up occurs up to a month later than usual and the spring thaw seems earlier every year. The multi-year sea-ice is smaller and now drifts far from the community in the summer, taking with it the seals upon which the community relies for food. In the winter the sea-ice is thin and broken, making travel dangerous for even the most experienced hunters. In the fall, storms have become frequent and severe, making boating difficult. Thunder and lightning have been seen for the first time.
Hot weather in the summer is melting the permafrost and causing large-scale slumping on the coastline and along the shores of inland lakes. The melting has already caused one inland lake to drain into the ocean, killing the freshwater fish. In the town of Sachs Harbour, building foundations are shifting from the melting.
New species of birds such as barn swallows and robins are arriving on the island. In the nearby waters, salmon have been caught for the first time. On the land, an influx of flies and mosquitoes are making life difficult for humans and animals.
These changes tell local people that the climate is warming. The residents of Sachs Harbour wonder if they can maintain their way of life if these changes continue.
Given the dramatic changes that local people have observed, IISD and the Hunters and Trappers Committee of Sachs Harbour initiated a two-year project to document the problem of Arctic climate change and communicate it to Canadian and international audiences. The project team worked in partnership with specialists from five organizations to develop an innovative method for recording and sharing local observations on climate change. The approach combined participatory workshops, semi-structured interviews, community meetings and fieldwork to better understand the extent of local knowledge of climate change. During the two-year initiative, the project team produced a broadcast-quality video and published seven scientific journal articles to communicate the consequences of climate change in the Arctic and to understand the adaptive strategies that local people are using in response. The science papers document the extent of Inuvialuit knowledge on climate change and explore how that knowledge can enrich scientific research in the Arctic. The video follows local people onto the land and sea as they partake in traditional activities. Their voices―and the beauty of a fragile and bountiful land― leave viewers with a clear understanding of what will be lost if climate change continues.
In November 2000, the video was launched concurrently in The Hague, Ottawa and Sachs Harbour with additional screenings in Yellowknife and Winnipeg. The launch attracted considerable media attention. A well-developed communications strategy meant that the story was picked up by 12 newswire services, 24 U.S. papers (with a cumulative circulation of over four million), 20 Canadian papers (with a cumulative circulation of almost three million), Maclean’s, Panorama and Outside magazines(cumulative circulation of two million), and at least 22 major online sources including National Geographic.com, @Discovery.ca, One World Net, ABC News.com and CNN.com. The project team took part in nine major radio interview including ABC Radio, BBC, Radio Netherlands, CBC As It Happens, CBC Syndication (13 separate city interviews), CBC Radio International, KWAB, Great Lakes Radio Consortium (140 stations in 10 U.S. states) and CFAX Radio. The project was also covered on 14 major television networks including Associated Press Television Network (worldwide 330 broadcasters), BBC, France 1, France 2, ARD Television Swiss Romande, National Geographic channel, CBC (the National), CTV, Global, CBC Canada Now, CBC Newsworld, Discovery Channel and the Aboriginal Peoples' TV Network. There were an additional 28 print, radio and Internet stories on the project prior to the launch.
The video was also screened or distributed at key decision making forums including: the Joint Ministerial Meeting of Environment and Energy Ministers (October 16, 2000); Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting (October 12–13, 2000); Government of Nunavut Legislative Assembly (October 16, 2000); National Round Table on Environment and Economy (November 9, 2000); 6th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP-6) in The Hague, Netherlands (November 16–24, 2000); House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, Northern Development and Natural Resources; World Environment Day Forum in Italy (June 4–6, 2001); and the Western Premiers’ Conference (May 30th to June 1st, 2001).
Presentations at 17 conferences and workshop communicated the project’s findings and approach to other researchers.
Final workshops were held in Ottawa and Sachs Harbour. The Ottawa event brought together project team members, funding partners and relevant individuals from other organizations that were interested in the work. The objective of the Ottawa and Sachs Harbour workshops was to review the project, watch the video and discuss a strategy for communicating the project results and refining and replicating the approach elsewhere. To this end, IISD has followed up on the outcomes of the workshop and has developed several proposals in partnership with relevant organizations. To date these proposals include:
- Facilitating a series of workshops with the five other communities in the Inuvialuit settlement region to obtain a region-wide perspective on climate change. This project is being implemented in partnership with the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, the Inuvialuit Game Council and the local Hunters and Trappers Committees (HTCs). Funding for this project has been provided by the Northern Ecosystem Initiative.
- Producing a teachers guide to accompany the full-length version of the video. The guide would be consistent with the Pan-Canadian Protocol on Science Curriculum Development, enabling its use by any school in Canada. This initiative would be led by Manitoba Department of Education and Training and Learning for a Sustainable Future (an Ottawa-based NGO that develops sustainable development materials for school teachers) with input from IISD and the Sachs Harbour HTC. A proposal has been submitted to the Sustainable Development Innovations Fund in Manitoba to produce the guide and distribute copies of the video and the guide to all high schools in the province.
- Producing a French version of the full-length video to provide a broader Canadian and international audience with access to the project’s results. A proposal is in the final stages of development with funders yet to be identified.
- A concept paper to scale up the Sachs Harbour research has been developed. The strategy involves testing and refining the workshop methodology in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, training other organizations in conducting the research to allow local observations to be collected throughout the Arctic region, piloting the use of videos as a tool for communities to document and share local observations on climate change and, finally, extending the successful elements to other circumpolar countries.
- IISD will also continue to profile the project results with researchers, decision-makers and the public whenever possible and appropriate.
This project was made possible through the support and initiative of the community of Sachs Harbour and financial contributions from: the Government of Canada’s Climate Change Action Fund (Public Education and Outreach); the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation; the Government of Canada’s Climate Change Action Fund (Science, Impacts and Adaptation); Indian and Northern Affairs Canada; and the Government of the Northwest Territories. Generous in-kind support was given by the Hunters and Trappers Committee of Sachs Harbour; the Inuvialuit Game Council; the Inuvialuit Joint Secretariat; the Inuvialuit Communications Society; the Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba; the Department of Fisheries and Oceans; the Government of the Northwest Territories; the Geological Survey of Canada; and the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
