Agata Durkalec, a Masters Student in Trent's Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies Program, has focused her thesis work is on the travel safety on the sea ice in Nain, in the Inuit land claim region of Nunatsiavut, in Northern Labrador. Having seen the impacts on Northern communities first-hand, she states "It's my opinion that [climate change] is a threat on the scale of colonialism, in terms of the impact that it can have on the self-determination and the ability for Northern people to continue their culture and their way of life." Laid out in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, Northern ice is included in territory lines.
As this ice is disappearing, those land sizes are shrinking. Through the actions causing climate change, and the inaction to find an effective solution, people in Canada's South are undeniably complicit in this shrinking of Inuit land. When asked why people in Southern Canada aren't more concerned, Durkalec believes "the only reason they have that attitude is because they're privileged... There's such a lack of recognition about their privilege and why they are not affected by [climate change]."
Ignoring and mistreating its northern Indigenous populations isn't a new phenomenon for the Canadian government. Just last month, the Canadian government issued an apology to northern Inuit communities for a forced relocation program that took place in the 1950s, which had forcibly removed from their home communities 90 Inuit people and relocated them 1,200km further north.
In the apology, the Canadian government admitted that the families were separated from their communities, were not provided with adequate shelter or supplies, and were not properly informed of how far they were going or that they would be separated into two communities. The government also acknowledged that they had failed to honour their promise that anyone who didn't want to stay in the new communities would be returned home.
During the first winter, which was dark night and day, the relocatees were forced to live in tents with inadequate food and supplies. The conditions were an average of 20 degrees colder than their home communities and the wildlife was unfamiliar and limited. While the government claimed that they were intending to help the Inuit, who at the time were struggling on the land in Northern Quebec, the Inuit and many others believe that the relocatees were used as pawns to assert Canadian sovereignty over the Arctic during the Cold War.
Arthur spoke with Rodd Laing, Researcher for the Nunatsiavut Climate Impact Assessment Project. The project is a partnership between the Nunatsiavut Government and Trent University that is funded by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. The research team consists of co-leads Tom Sheldon, Director of the Environment Division at the Nunatsiavut Government, and Chris Furgal, an associate professor of the Indigenous Environmental Studies Program at Trent University. There were two summer students at Trent University hired to work on the project, as well as two local research assistants in the community of Nain.
A: What is the Nunatsiavut Climate Impact Assessment Project?
RL: The project is investigating the impacts of the unusually warm winter of 2009-2010 on the community of Nain, Nunatsiavut. The study will describe the key conditions that impacted the community and identify how people responded to these impacts. People in the community are directly involved in documenting specifically how the past winter's conditions affected their lives. The project itself is important because the winter conditions this past year created difficulties for people in the community. It is important to understand what caused the conditions that were most dangerous for people and to know if they are projected to occur more frequently in the future with climatic changes in the region. As well, it is important to know what challenges residents faced in responding to these dangers in order to inform community and regional governments about what support people need if in the future, these conditions happen more often.
A: The CBC reported that this year saw the third lowest ice levels on record.
RL: Well there are a couple of things to look at here that probably should be clarified, but rarely are. The third lowest ice levels on record refers to all ice in the Arctic and is calculated at the end of the summer. This includes multi-year ice and ice that has survived from this past winter. The ice that forms and melts in the coastal areas of Labrador (and around most Arctic communities) is referred to as first year ice. First year ice forms in the fall and almost all of it melts in the spring/summer. The ice that Arctic communities are relying on is first year ice. But that said, the reduction in all of the ice, this being the third lowest on record, is a result of some of the same things that are affecting the first year ice. And you mention that since this is the third lowest ice level, we must have been here before. Well we have, but it was not that long ago. The lowest sea ice year was in 2007 and the second lowest was in 2008. I have heard people say, "Well since 2007, that is an increase in overall sea ice." This increase is true, but incredibly short-sighted. That is what natural variation is. But if you look at the overall trend in Arctic sea ice, it is decreasing quicker and much more dramatically than anyone could have predicted. The overall trend is indicating a decrease in sea ice. Also, the Arctic will always contain ice in the winter, but it is the loss of the really thick multi-year ice and the reduction in the thickness of first year ice around communities that is of worry. It is also important to note that the changes are not limited to just sea ice. Some species are being seen in northern communities that have never been seen there before. This includes things from insects all the way to mammals.
A: Changes in Weather & Ice
RL: There have been many changes in the weather data in Northern Labrador over the past 25 years. The average temperature has increased, there is an increase in precipitation (especially rain in the winter), and the sea ice is substantially thinner and much more unpredictable. Obviously, this has a huge impact on the lives of people in the communities in Northern Labrador, as they rely on the sea ice in the winter to get around and do their regular activities such as hunting and traveling to other communities. They refer to the sea ice as their highway and it is necessary to maintain their traditional way of life. What makes this really difficult is that many people used to be able to look at the weather or the sea ice and be able to tell what the weather would be like or whether the ice is safe. But recently, due to large changes in sea ice thickness and weather patterns (including wind direction and barometric pressure), many people find that they can't predict the weather and it is making travel on the ice much more difficult. And it is interesting to hear people from the south talk about this, saying, "Why don't they just not go on the ice," or "It is irresponsible." What many people down here do not understand is that the sea ice is PART of their life. It is not just something they are going out to do for fun; it is something they have relied on for hundreds of years and still use today.
A: Life in the North
RL: People in the north rely on the sea ice, it is not just something that is there for recreational purposes. It is essential to their way of life and has always been a part of their lives. Sea ice is a necessity for these communities and as it changes, they are adapting. They are finding different travel routes (albeit more difficult and usually on the ice) or are taking more risks than they had to in the past. The local government is working to help people adapt and still be able to use the sea ice. Even if people are able to adapt, it is such a big problem because people do not want to give up their traditional way of life. This is what they know and how they have lived. Why should they have to change what they are doing due to a problem that [most likely, they didn't cause]? Obviously, changes have to be made, but it is more of an issue of how can people still use the sea ice and not alternatives to using the sea ice.
A: On Climate Change Deniers
RL: I find it actually quite fascinating that people are denying climate change. Some people see that it is snowing more in their area and they say, "See, global warming is not happening." But if they realized that it actually snows MORE at warmer (but still cool) temperatures, then their statement does not make any sense. I find most climate change deniers have not spent any time in the north, do not fully understand the processes taking place, and are making statements more on political ideology rather than any kind of scientific evidence.
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization Statement on Climate Change
The UNPO is an international organization made up of Indigenous people and those living in unrecognized or occupied territories. The group is dedicated to protecting and promoting human and cultural rights, preserving environments, and finding non-violent solutions to conflicts.
In a statement released at the end of 2009, the UNPO asserts that the impact of climate change has forced indigenous people off their lands and violated people's right to self-determination as well as many other fundamental rights. The UNPO called on international governments and authorities participating in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen and beyond to consider and include the voices and perspectives of Indigenous populations.
"Traditionally marginalized and unrepresented populations are experiencing the brunt of the consequences of global climate change, as they both lack the capacity to minimize or reverse the damages and they are not included in the international dialogue concerned with finding the solution."
The North in News
August 5 - NASA officials announce that a 251 square kilometre chunk of ice broke off of the Petermann Glacier, on the Northwestern coast of Greenland. This is the largest "ice island" to form in the Arctic since 1962. Andreas Muenchow, Associate Professor of Physical Ocean Science and Engineering at the University of Delaware, warns that the melting taking place underneath the surface is of greater concern. Muenchow says that the Petermann's Glacier is losing 80% of its mass underwater because of the warming of the ocean.
August 18 - NASA satellites show a chunk of ice the size of Bermuda broke off of the 3,000 – 4,000 year-old Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, off the northern coast of Ellesmere Island.
September 13 - A report released by the Center for Biological Diversity and Care for the Wild International lists seventeen Arctic species as being "threatened with extinction by rapid climate change and ocean acidification."
