A preview of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) presented October 5 to the fourth World Conference of Science Journalists in Montreal drew attention to the threat global warming is posing to indigenous cultures of the Arctic Circle as sea ice and marine life becomes scarce.
In an effort to clarify the often misunderstood topic of climate change and emphasize the urgency of dealing with rising temperatures, a team of more than 600 scientists from across the globe, together with Inuit and other Arctic peoples, has worked for the past four years to draw up the 1,800-page report on the current and future impact of climate change in the Arctic.
The ACIA report suggests that continued depletion of sea ice could push many marine species—walrus, polar bear, and seals—to extinction by 2070-2090. "To hunt, catch and share these foods is the essence of Inuit culture," the report preview states. "A decline in ringed seals and polar bears therefore threatens not only the dietary requirements of Inuit, but also their very way of life."
The report also says that many Inuit are experiencing growing difficulty in predicting environmental conditions, resulting, for example, in the deaths of hunters who have fallen through thinning sea ice in formerly safe hunting areas. "Our traditional wisdom on how to survive and thrive on the land is becoming useless because everything is changing and changing fast," Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), told Inter Press Service News.
The scientists involved in the assessment deliberately made moderate projections about climate change in order to avoid controversy. Nevertheless, as the Resource Center for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples reports, one of the ACIA's key findings shows that some Arctic areas are exhibiting warming trends between five and 10 times the global average, rising as much as four degrees Celsius over the last few decades. Globally during this time, the climate has warmed by an average of 0.6 degrees Celsius.
Despite the evidence, little is being done to curb increasing climate temperatures. Carbon dioxide emissions continue to grow globally. In the United States, George W. Bush's administration has rejected the timetables for policy recommendations set forth by the ACIA, and, according to Inter Press Service News, is actively seeking to delay the release of the report.
The final ACIA report, commissioned by the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee, is to be presented November 9 at the ACIA International Scientific Symposium on Climate Change in Reykjavik, Iceland.
