Question

A case study on Inuit people​

Answer 1

The Inuit people live in Sachs Harbour on Banks Island in the Canadian Western Arctic. Hunters and elders of Sachs Harbour have been making observations about their environment that are remarkably consistent in providing tangible evidence of climate change. They have made observations of thunder and lightning due to warmer temperatures and have noticed that Pacific salmon have appeared in the Beaufort Sea or mainland ducks have extended their range to the high arctic. Both are welcome contributions to the Inuvialuit diet however some changes are challenging their way of life. The changes reported involved the extent of sea ice, the timing and intensity of weather events, fish and wildlife distribution, permafrost depth, and soil erosion.

These changes have had impacts on the Inuit’s livelihoods and have forced them to adopt coping mechanisms. Coping mechanisms are immediate responses to situations where livelihood is threatened. Often these are emergency responses provoked by irregular extreme events such as, discrete changes in climate, as in this case. Access to resources is often related to the ability to travel on land or sea ice. Increased variability associated with spring weather conditions and changes in the rate of spring melt can affect community access to hunting and fishing camps. Changes in the predictability of weather and ice melts create significant safety concerns as it makes travel and hunting more dangerous and does not allow for traditional knowledge of weather to be relied upon. The indirect effects of climate change, such as changes to the availability of forage and water or the intensity of parasitic infections, may have an impact on Arctic wildlife, and thus on the community harvest. Less summer ice means less seals but also different species of fish and birds.

The Inuit people engage in several land-based activities, and in a mixed economy where wage income, transfer payments, and subsistence harvesting all contribute to economic well being and many families obtain significant portions of key food resources (protein) from hunting and fishing.

Resilience in this case study is defined as:

The amount of change a system can undergo and still retain the same controls on function and structure.

Degree to which the system is capable of self organization

Community’s ability to build and increase its capacity for learning and adaptation.

Their adaptive capacity is derived in part from historical adaption, culture, environmental context and economic development. For example, although they were historically dependent on dogs they adopted snowmobiles as their main form of transportation; they have a culture of getting by living in an environment where biological production is relatively low, resources are patchy and availability is unpredictable caution and contextual knowledge is taught as survival tactics. The contemporary mixed economy means that wider range of livelihood strategies as they have access to other food sources and newer connections to the outside world that can be utilized as insurance or in times of scarcity. They also have several cultural practices that enhance adaptive capacity.