Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Food Security in the Canadian Arctic

Warming temperatures and the potential for the introduction of new water and food-borne agents and permafrost melting, threatens built structures in coastal communities, and basic public health infrastructures (e.g., water treatment and distribution, emergency transportation). The security of basic public health infrastructure in small remote Arctic communities that are already challenged regarding provision of some basic services is a significant determinant of adaptive ability in the Arctic. Further, existing health status issues in northern populations (e.g., nutritional deficiencies, increasing rates of diabetes and some cancers associated with shifts toward a more “western diet” and sedentary lifestyle, and rates of respiratory illness) appear to be further exacerbated by changes in local climate. Box 10. Adapting subsistence-based livelihoods to climate change One of the services now available to communities to help adapt their traditional lifestyles to the changing climate comes from the Polar View program (http:// www.grida.no/_res/site/file/publications/PolarView- booklet_scr.pdf). Polar View is an international consortium of government agencies, research institutes and service providers across Europe and Canada that offers integrated monitoring and forecasting services in polar and mid-latitude regions affected by ice and snow. Three pilot services in particular are benefiting indigenous people and may be part incorporated in a food security strategy: Floe Edge Monitoring Service – satellite images which show ice edge and zones of moving ice and land-fast ice enable Inuit residents to plan their travel safely across frozen sea. Reindeer Pastures Monitoring Service – maps of snow extent and snow water equivalent in northern Eurasia are used to help reindeer herders adapt their seasonal activities and migration patterns. Lake Ice Monitoring Service – satellite-based monitoring of lake ice distribution in Nunavik is being integrated with traditional ecological knowledge to improve the understanding of the impacts of climate change on critical fish habitat and assist with sustainable management of the fisheries. 1. 2. 3. The combination of environmental change, basic health needs, limited economic choices, and shifts

in northern society and lifestyle appears to increase vulnerability and limit the ability of some Arctic communities to respond. When many of these factors overlap and the population is already facing some critical health and food security issues, the impact of climate change is greater because of the population’s vulnerability (e.g., small remote communities, with a limited natural and economic resource base). Aboriginal groups are uniquely adapted to its geography and local ecology, it is reasonable to speculate that each group’s socio-ecologic resilience and adaptive capacity for health issues is similarly unique. Observed climate changes, impacts, and response abilities of Yukon First Nations living in the interior of the western Arctic likely are very different from those of the Inuit communities. As in other regions of the world, enhancing adaptive capacity can be regarded as a “no regrets” option in the North, as it not only reduces vulnerability but also improves immediate resilience to current day stresses (Yohe and Tol 2002). Strengthening access and availability to country foods throughout the year for communities or increasing public health education associated with environmental causes of nutrition and disease are such examples. Establishing community freezer and distribution plans will help in addressing current nutritional and other food issues as well as increase the capability of an individual to access safe and healthy foods in the face of environmental changes. Increased knowledge and awareness of environmental causes of disease will address perceived risks and provide valuable information to empower individuals to continue to make healthy decisions. This level of engagement and contribution is a significant advance in environmental health impact and vulnerability research. Despite these advances, research on climate, food security, and health in the north is sparse (Berner and Furgal 2005), and the identification of the impacts on local populations and community adaptations is still in its infancy thresholds and limits to adaptation (Berkes and Jolly 2002).

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IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FOOD SECURITY IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC