An Inuit delegation has gone to Paris, to the COP21, to deliver the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) position paper on climate change.
As also explained in the ICC's facebook page, "The health and well-being of Inuit have always been tied to the environment. Inuit are deeply concerned about the impacts of climate change on their cultural, social and economic health.” Eegeesiak added, “Inuit will be in Paris to remind the world that the Arctic is the barometer of the health of the planet. Any and all measures for mitigation and adaptation must correspond to acknowledge, recognize and implement human rights in national and international agreements. The Arctic Peoples delegation invite world leaders and delegates to Arctic Day on December 8th to celebrate and share our culture with Inuit and Saami Peoples".
In the position paper ICC urges global leaders to support Inuit in sustaining our livelihoods by taking the following seven actions:
- Recognize the role of the Arctic in sustaining global climate systems
- Support with sustainable funding the integration of Inuit and Indigenous knowledge and local monitoring into regional and global environmental assessment processes
- Commit to support the participation of Inuit in climate change-related processes and programs at local, national, regional and international level
- Support Inuit and Indigenous peoples with mitigation, adaption and sustainable technology development
- Recognize the fundamental human right of Inuit to a safe and healthy environment, and respect Inuit sovereignty and the right of Indigenous peoples to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as custodians of our homelands.
- Acknowledge the important role of the Arctic Council as a model for cooperation and collaboration between states and Indigenous peoples and encourage states to develop similar forums for addressing environmental challenges in each respective region.
- Acknowledge short-lived climate forcers (black carbon, methane and hydroflourocarbons) and support efforts to reduce the impact of these pollutants.
Full text of the position paper is available here.