Inuit perspectives on climate change and well-being: a comparison between urban and remote communities in the Arctic

Abstract

The generational knowledge of weather and climate is a foundational component of subsistence for Inuit in the Arctic. This knowledge is now challenged by the reality of anthropogenic climate change at a pace that, for Inuit, is impeding fundamental aspects of life in a single generation. To better understand how climate change moderates relationships between Inuit communities and the ecosystem services they rely on, the literature on how climate change is perceived in the circumpolar Arctic was systematically reviewed. The perspectives of Inuit as described in 75 studies were contrasted with those queried from a series of semi-structured interviews with 16 residents of Iqaluit, Nunavut. Within the literature, the themes most frequently mentioned in remote communities were concerns arising about the environment, community, and health. However, the inverse was true for studies that focused on urban communities. Participants from the semi-structured interviews described how colonialism still shapes knowledge translation, which has lasting effects on Arctic climate literacy for Inuit and non-Inuit. As such, an academic knowledge gap in the colonial context in which climate change operates was identified, which requires a way forward that can lead to improvements in the social context for Inuit.

Keywords

• climate change
• systematic review
• Indigenous Knowledge
• Inuit
• Arctic
• knowledge mobilization