Photo Credit: Neil Ford Inuit Observations on Climate Change Final Repor t J u n e 1 9 9 9 - J u n e 2 0 01 Sachs Harbour Northwest Territories Inuit Observations on Climate Change Final Report Graham Ashford, Jennifer Castleden International Institute for Sustainable Development June 2001 This project was made possible through financial support from the following organisations: . Government of Canada’s Climate Change Action Fund (Public Education and Outreach) . Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation . Government of Canada’s Climate Change Action Fund (Science, Impacts and Adaptation) . Indian and Northern Affairs Canada . Government of the Northwest Territories TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... II 1 PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................... 1 2 TEAM MEMBERS............................................................................................................................. 1 3 TIMELINE OF PRIMARY ACTIVITIES ...................................................................................... 3 4 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES .......................................................................................................... 3 4.1 TRIP 1 (JUNE 15–21, 1999) ........................................................................................................... 3 4.2 TRIP 2 (AUGUST 8–17, 1999) ........................................................................................................ 5 ▪ videotape changes to the environment such as shoreline slumping caused by melting permafrost, and appearance of new animal and insect species and behavioural patterns ...................................... 6 that Inuit observe during the summer period; ...................................................................................... 6 4.3 TRIP 3 (FEBRUARY 14–21, 2000) .................................................................................................. 9 4.4 TRIP 4 (MAY 22–29, 2000) ......................................................................................................... 13 4.5 SCIENCE TEAM MEETING (VICTORIA, AUGUST 15–17, 2000)..................................................... 16 4.6 PROJECT EVALUATION (SACHS HARBOUR, JUNE – AUGUST 2000) ............................................ 17 4.7 VIDEO LAUNCH ........................................................................................................................... 18 4.8 FINAL WORKSHOP (OTTAWA)..................................................................................................... 20 4.9 FINAL WORKSHOP (SACHS HARBOUR) ....................................................................................... 22 5 OUTCOMES ..................................................................................................................................... 24 5.1 PUBLIC AWARENESS ................................................................................................................... 24 5.2 INFLUENCING DECISION-MAKERS ............................................................................................... 25 5.3 REACHING RESEARCHERS ........................................................................................................... 26 5.4 INTERNET SITE ........................................................................................................................... 28 5.5 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................ 29 6 NEXT STEPS .................................................................................................................................... 30 6.1 INUVIALUIT SETTLEMENT REGION PROJECT .............................................................................. 30 6.2 MANITOBA EDUCATION AND TRAINING AND LEARNING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE TEACHERS’ GUIDE .................................................................................................................................. 30 6.3 FRENCH PRODUCTION OF VIDEO ................................................................................................ 31 6.4 MONITORING AND REPORTING OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE ARCTIC ........................ 31 7 ANNEXES ......................................................................................................................................... 31 A. ANNUAL CALENDAR AND TIMELINE .............................................................................................. 31 B. MEDIA COVERAGE.......................................................................................................................... 31 i Executive Summary 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 ii (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,