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Tuesday, 23 September 2008

Impacts of Climate Change on Inuit People's Rights

I will start these few lines by quoting Sheila Watt-Cloutier (2005), Inuit representative, and Louis-Gilles Francoeur (2008), reporter for Le Devoir :

“What is happening affects virtually every facet of Inuit life—we are a people of the land, ice, snow, and animals. Our hunting culture thrives on the cold. We need it to be cold to maintain our culture and way of life. Climate change has become the ultimate threat to Inuit culture. […] An Inuk out on the land hunting for a seal with which to feed his family observes even minute changes to the environment. In a very real sense he is the sentinel—the first line of defense against climate change. That Inuk hunter illustrates something else—climate change is a human and family issue”, (Sheila WATT-CLOUTIER, “The Climate Change Petition by the Inuit Circumpolar Conference to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights”, Montreal, 07.12.2005, http://inuitcircumpolar.com/index.php?ID=318&Lang=En).

“La fonte de la calotte polaire de l'Arctique est si phénoménale cette année que d'ici 15 jours, certains chercheurs estiment que le pôle Nord pourrait se retrouver couvert d'eau pour la première fois depuis des dizaines de milliers d'années”, (FRANCOEUR (L-G.), “Le pôle nord perd sa calotte”, Le Devoir, 30 and 31.08.2008).

The Arctic Ocean is the most affected by the polar icecap melting due to global warming. During the summer of 2007, 40% of its ice surface melted and September 2008 forecasts new “records”. This Ocean plays a unique role at a global scale, by its cooling process; unfortunately it is impeded by climate change. Thus, the melting of the polar icecap reminds us that human activities damage ecosystems and that an affected ecosystem has harmful consequences on human life, our well-being and in terms of access to resources.
This accelerated melting process raises several interrogations. They put into question the western lifestyle and philosophy. Specifically, they are questioning the results of western choices, priorities and scale of interests on individuals and peoples worldwide. These questions are materialized today by the emergence of territorial interests and by the escalation of States rivalries in terms of sovereignty.
However, beyond this territorial problematic, which is fundamental but upsetting, other issues are raised, sensitive on human life. They are notably connected with the safeguard of Inuit people’s rights.
This group represents 155 000 peoples through four States: the United-States (Alaska), Canada, Denmark (Greenland) and Russia. It therefore had a wide ancestral territory, one main component of which is the Arctic Ocean. This means that the ice melting process is a significant fact of its present history.
In order to live adequately with this land and to follow its own way of life, The Inuit people has the right to fish and to hunt moose, polar bears and seals, within certain limits and quotas.
Nevertheless, in an article published in August of 2008 relating the conversation between an Inuit member living in the North of Canada and a reporter, we could read the following : “The villagers also have an annual quota to hunt 28 polar bears, which they sell for their hides, "but we have not filled our quota in the past years. Fewer bears are showing up."”. This statement addresses the issue of the effectiveness of those ancestral rights already recognized to Inuit people in order for them to hunt and fish. These rights are fast becoming obsolete with the disappearance of the resources. Indeed, how could Inuit people implement these rights if the resources are missing? Moreover, Inuit people are facing insecurity through the melting of ice, making the access to the Ocean and its resources uncertain and dangerous. Furthermore, will the autonomy recognized to Inuit people by Canada and Denmark one day be affected by the impacts of climate change? Finally, climate change and pollution affect Inuit women, most of all. They currently have the most blood toxins in the world. Consequently, we can wonder if the rights to health and to a worthy life are amputated.
Climate change restrains the recognition of ancestral and human rights of Inuit People (especially the right to a healthy environment, the right to life, to health, the principals of human security and the access to food). However, this correlation is not legally acknowledged and efficient. Relating to this concern, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights had set aside the petition of the Inuit Circumpolar Council claiming the violation of human rights by climate change and pollution by greenhouse effects. The United Nations Human Rights Council has recently recognized through the “Human Rights and Climate Change” recommendation, adopted in March 2008, that: “climate change poses an immediate and far-reaching threat to people and communities around the world and has implications for the full enjoyment of human rights”. However, when will the law be adapted efficiently to that new reality?

More information:

-HADDAD (R.), « Meltdown in the Arctic: Polar icecap shrinking at an alarming rate », 28.08.2008

-Human Rights Council, Recommendation A/HRC/7/L.21/Rev.1, « Promotion and Protection of all Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Including the Right to Development », 26.03.2008

-The U.N. Environment Program and The Global Environment Outlook : www.unep.org

-The U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues – 7th Session :

www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/fr/session_seventh.html#fs

-Petition to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights by The Inuit Circumpolar Council: http://inuitcircumpolar.com/files/uploads/icc-files/FINALPetitionICC.pdf

-Paul Crowley’s position on that petition: www.amnistie.ca/content/view/11563/420/

-The C.I.S.D.L. Arctic Law Project : www.cisdl.org/arctic/index.htm

Upcoming colloquy :

-Arctic Change 2008, 09-12.12.2008, Quebec : www.arctic-change2008.com/index.php?url=21010

- 4^th International Polar Year : www.annee-polaire.fr/api

-Arctic sea ice news : http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/index.html

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