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Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal Being on land and sea in troubled times: Climate change and food sovereignty in Nunavut

Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal

Panikkar B, Lemmond B
2020
Land. 9 (12)

Climate change driven food insecurity has emerged as a topic of special concern in the Canadian Arctic. Inuit communities in this region rely heavily on subsistence; however, access to traditional food sources may have been compromised due to climate change. Drawing from a total of 25 interviews among Inuit elders and experienced hunters from Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk in Nunavut, Canada, this research examines how climate change is impacting food sovereignty and health. Our results show that reports of food insecurity were more pronounced in Kugluktuk than Cambridge Bay. Participants in Kugluktuk consistently noted declining availability of preferred fish and game species (e.g., caribou, Arctic char), a decline in participation of sharing networks, and overall increased difficulty accessing traditional foods. Respondents in both communities presented a consistent picture of climate change compounding existing socio-economic (e.g., poverty, disconnect between elders and youth) and health stressors affecting multiple aspects of food sovereignty. This article presents a situated understanding of how climate change as well as other sociocultural factors are eroding food sovereignty at the community-scale in the Arctic. We argue that a communal focus is required to address resilience and adaptation at the local level through programs that protect the local cultural knowledge, traditional ways of life, and indigenous sovereignty to reduce the severities of food insecurity in the Arctic stemming from climate change.

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Resource Description

    Food Security
    • Food Security: Availability/Distribution, Livestock/Game Food Security
    Polar, Rural
    Non-United States
    • Non-United States: Non-U.S. North America
    General Health Impact, Mental Health and Well-Being
    • General Health Impact, Mental Health and Well-Being: General Mental Health and Well-Being
    Research Article
    Sociodemographic Vulnerability, Vulnerable Population
    • Sociodemographic Vulnerability, Vulnerable Population: Low Socioeconomic Status, Indigenous/Racial/Ethnic Subgroup, Specify, Indigenous People
      • Low Socioeconomic Status, Indigenous/Racial/Ethnic Subgroup, Specify, Indigenous People: Inuit
      Racial/Ethnic Subgroup, Specify
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