(Photo by Ian Mackenzie via Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.0 DEED)
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In the far north, the land has been frozen for thousands of years. We have admired the beauty of the Canadian Arctic through advertisements, films, and even through dog sledding. This has been changing, and it is changing fast. Yes, the ice is melting.
Melting ice is affecting the environment and the people who have lived there for thousands of years. Indigenous communities, others who moved there for the experience of nature, and the beloved polar bears are facing incredible hardship. Across the Arctic, including Canada, Russia, Norway, Greenland (Denmark), and Alaska (US), rising temperatures are rapidly melting ancient glaciers and sea ice.
St Kitts and Nevis, Kiribati, and Vanuatu face existential threats directly linked to rising sea levels and global temperatures. Glaciers are melting due to climate change, which is driven by large nations, but island nations are bearing the brunt of the costs. This is not a problem for the future, but rather one that needs to be addressed now.
What is Happening to the Ice?
IPCC report 3.3.2.1, Observations, Components of Change, and Drivers, presents present-day changes in the mass of Arctic glaciers, including in Greenland, Arctic Canada, and the Russian Arctic. This raises questions about the conservation of wildlife and the displacement of northern communities, even though they have lived there for years.
This issue is not new, and scientists have warned governments for years. According to NASA, Arctic sea ice has shrunk by more than 12% every ten years since 1979. These are big numbers and significantly affect animals, plants, and people. However, many politicians pay insufficient attention to this matter.
Instead, they focus on short-term economic gains from the lucrative oil and gas industry, ignoring long-term risks. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate believes that the Barents Sea holds “more than half of the oil and gas that has not yet been discovered.”
Yet, extracting oil affects biodiversity and ecosystems, and ultimately animals and humans. Moving from a potential future investment to the present, Russia produced 91% of its gas and oil in the Arctic in 2022, which is by far the highest share. Russia’s goal is inconsistent with the Paris Agreement, which could affect all northern regions, not just Russian territory, making this a global concern.
Who Benefits, and Who Pays?
These short-term global economic gains lead to long-term global political challenges and related questions of fairness, particularly regarding who benefits from these developments and who is adversely affected.
It is thus important to ask who is paying for this melting ice. It is neither our governments nor the board of directors that approve carbon-emission products, nor are people living in their comfortable homes. People living in the Arctic are affected more than anyone else living in Canada, particularly Indigenous peoples such as the Inuit. Their culture and identity are connected to land and ice. Their primary source of food is hunting.
Hunting on thin ice is especially dangerous for humans and animals when it is the only or most affordable food source available. It does not end there, as there have been serious discussions about how melting permafrost may revive dormant bacteria and viruses. Northern communities are more vulnerable to these dangers returning and could be seriously harmed by them.
Furthermore, the community of Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories is slowly sinking into the ocean because of coastal erosion. The federal government is planning to relocate people to safer areas. The question is, how many communities will we move? The displacement could be endless.
What Can Be Done and What’s Standing in the Way?
Canada has been working through its Climate Change Adaptation platform to develop mitigation plans. The Canadian government is funding projects and collaborating with Indigenous communities to address this issue, but greater inclusivity is needed to ensure the future of northern communities and wildlife.
Groups such as the Arctic Council are seeking to bring Arctic countries and their Indigenous communities together to address this problem. However, current political issues impede efforts to engage Russia on climate change, as the war between Ukraine and Russia diverts attention and resources to the conflict (short-term gain), which the media covers more than climate action. The United States’ threat to annex Greenland is another serious political distraction.
In Canada, the media have also focused on wars, elections, inflation, and, especially, the immigration and housing crises, but the melting ice has rarely been discussed. In any case, it does not help Arctic communities because this problem persists despite political considerations. It is getting worse by the day.
A Call to Action
The melting Arctic is already causing harm on a large scale, but it does not have to be this way. We can still save our planet, homes and animals that are just following their instincts, but which humans are affecting. The government of Canada froze the existing term license in 2018 to prevent further harm to the Arctic. This means that no new oil and gas development can proceed under those licenses until the freeze is lifted. Another report from the Government of Canada indicates that, since Canada has signed the Paris Agreement, it aims to achieve zero percent of toxic gas emissions by 2050.
Now is the time to act and apply the findings and outcomes from global research. While we conduct further study, we should not wait for additional research to be completed before acting, as that would be too late. We must apply the precautionary principle to act promptly to protect the Canadian Arctic. Being a large nation entails significant responsibility.
We must change our perspectives on the environment, as it is connected to our economy and lives, making them inseparable. When the Arctic melts, it is not just ice melting; it is taking away people’s homes, cultures, futures, and their faith in those of us living away from the poles. It is often difficult to hear their voices, but people living in large cities can shape their futures.
People should ask their leaders to focus on and show care for the Arctic, even if it’s not in their riding. Our Members of Parliament represent us in government, which means we should be able to convey our wishes. Governments need to fund projects that help protect the environment. These little decisions can make a significant difference.
Edited by Light Naing
