Climate changes are threatening indigenous peoples in the arctic

More than 400,000 indigenous people in the arctic are acutely threatened by climate changes, the Society for threatened peoples (SftP) warned on Monday in Goettingen. More than 30 indigenous peoples face the destruction of their livelihood if the richest industrialised countries fail to reduce greenhouse gas emissions effectively. Before the G 8 summit, due to begin on Wednesday, the SftP appealed to the G 8 member’s heads of state government to ensure the survival of the indigenous peoples of the arctic by pursuing a responsible climate policy. The human rights organisation called on British Prime Minister Tony Blair to adopt a resolution on climate change at the G 8 summit, if necessary without the support of the US government.

The indigenous peoples in Siberia, Alaska, Greenland, Labrador and Nunavut (North Western Canada) urgently need support to overcome the already apparent consequences of the climate change, a SftP representative stated. Many people had to leave their villages due to rising sea level or soil erosion.

For centuries, the indigenous peoples of the arctic lived from hunting polar bears, walruses, seals and caribous, as well as reindeer herding, fishing and gathering wild plants. Like all indigenous peoples, the Inuits, Ewenks, Yakutes, Nenets and other indigenous peoples of the arctic are accustomed to adapting their life style to environmental changes, reported the SftP. However, the climate changes are altering the environment so fundamentally, that they are unable to adapt to the new conditions quickly enough. Wildlife have altered their trails and feeding grounds and often hunting is no longer possible due to the ice surface being too thin. Seals, walruses and polar bears suffer from malnutrition and are severely threatened with extinction. Similarly, the stocks of fresh water fish are declining, causing tens of thousands to lose their livelihood. These massive changes are unprecedented in the long history of indigenous peoples. Scientists should use the indigenous peoples’ knowledge of the environment in order to make the magnitude of the climate change clear.