Institutions, indigenous peoples, and climate change adaptation in the Canadian Arctic

The changing Arctic Ocean: consequences for biological communities, biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functioning

“…Significant changes in the type, extent and thickness of ice cover [6], meltwater input [7] and water mass dynamics [8], coupled with warming and ocean acidification [9], have already begun to impact ecosystem processes and the flora and fauna that inhabit a range of Arctic habitats [10]. The pace of change is such that our understanding of the way in which Arctic systems are structured and function is outdated, and insufficient to inform management, mitigation and adaptation efforts across the region [11,12]. Projections indicate that, even if global stabilization of temperature below 1.5°C is realized, changes will continue to manifest over an extended period, perhaps even millennial timescales [13] and may include unprecedented shifts in structure [14].…”

Respuestas locales para una crisis global: pueblos indígenas, sociedad civil y transdisciplina para enfrentar el cambio climático

“…Los beneficios sociales desprendidos de la participación de los pueblos indígenas se vinculan a sus capacidades adaptativas; durante siglos, han elaborado estrategias de afrontamiento antes los cambios sociales y políticos. Los pueblos indígenas padecen los efectos de la sequía, la agroindustria y el extractivismo, sin embargo, muchos de ellos están desplegando diversas estrategias para adaptarse (Vogel & Bullock, 2020). En América Latina, estas capacidades se deben mayormente a que los medios de vida indígenas favorecen la diversidad frente a la especialización, lo cual les permite enfrentar mejor la variabilidad y el cambio (Nakashima et al, 2012).…”

The rapidly changing Arctic and its societal implications

“…As part of efforts to stocktake adaptation efforts and track progress, research has examined the current state of adaptation at the circumpolar scale (Canosa et al, 2020), regional scale (Ford et al, 2017; Labbe et al, 2017; Vogel & Bullock, 2020), and community‐level (Loring et al, 2016; Pearce et al, 2011). Other studies have captured Arctic adaptation developments as part of broader national or sectoral analyses (Lesnikowski et al, 2016).…”

“…In infrastructure thermosyphons have been used when constructing new buildings to keep the ground frozen (Dore et al, 2016), hazard maps have been developed to assist planners avoid areas of high risk (Jaskolski et al, 2018; Karjalainen et al, 2019), coastal protection measures have been strengthened (e.g., revetments built with rocks, beach nourishment, groin systems) (Liew et al, 2020), and land use planning processes that integrate climate projections are underway (Edel'geriev & Romanovskaya, 2020). In North America, vulnerability‐centered adaptations have been more common than other Arctic regions: in northern Canada, for example, a major thrust of adaptation programs has been to strengthen cultural values, support language retention, and promote community leadership (Labbe et al, 2017; Richards et al, 2019; Vogel & Bullock, 2020). Health is under‐represented in adaptation initiatives, along with adaptations being developed within larger Arctic settlements (Canosa et al, 2020; Sawatzky et al, 2018), and in many sectors decisions continue to be made without knowledge and/or consideration of future climate trends (Cherry et al, 2017; Lauta et al, 2018).…”

“…Notwithstanding these barriers, the capacity of governance systems in the Arctic to respond to climate change has strengthened recently (Meredith et al, 2019). For Indigenous Peoples, advances in self‐government, land claims, and resource management particularly in the North American Arctic provide a strong basis for responding to climate impacts (Robards et al, 2018; Vogel & Bullock, 2020). These developments expand the solution space for responding to climate impacts, although the colonial‐basis of government and institutions continues to perpetuate vulnerability and limit Indigenous self‐governance (Ford et al, 2020; Snook et al, 2020).…”