Stories and Solutions: GRID-Arendal Annual Report 2015

Traditional Foods in the North The Communications Team provided support to McGill University to develop the Traditional Animal Foods of Indigenous Peoples of Northern North America web site which describes and references the published literature on traditional animal food resources known and used by Indigenous Peoples of northern North America. It presents information on the locations of the cultures whose peoples have used, and often continue to use, these foods. The publication focuses on Canada, Alaska, Greenland and the northern United States of America, but many of the animal species presented also occur in the northern latitudes of Europe and Asia. It presents data for 527 species of animals, drawing information from 489 ethnographic sources, an additional 88 unique sources reporting nutritional information, and 357 sources containing basic biological information. This is a reference guide that will be useful to a variety of users – Indigenous Peoples and the education of their youth, public health professionals, wildlife resource managers, nutritionists, ethnographers, wildlife enthusiasts, the variety of organizations serving Indigenous Peoples, and the academic audience in several disciplines. It will be released in 2016.

Foreign Affairs. It focused on the health, economic and development effects of household air pollution. Nearly 3 billion people still lack reliable, affordable and sustainable access to modern energy services. Most of these people live in low- and middle-income countries and they have to rely on various forms of solid fuel – animal dung, crop residues and waste, wood, coal and charcoal – to heat and light their homes and cook their food. The report provides an overview of the science and our knowledge of household air pollution and its effects on human health, development and climate change. The Executive Summary was presented at a side event during the 68th World Health Assembly held in Geneva, in May. Helping UNEP Monitor the State of the Global Environment GRID-Arendal experts are contributing to UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook (GEO) report in three areas: regional report for Africa, gender-GEO and the polar and oceans sections. During 2015, significant progress was made in the regional report for Africa, whereby the text has been submitted for peer review by UNEP. GRID- Arendal experts will continue to contribute to other parts of the GEO report during 2016.

Household air pollution

Health impacts

Smoke released contibutes to outdoor air pollution

Respiratory diseases

CO

Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in young children (pneumonia) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, breathing problems) Lung cancer Asthma

CO 2

Soot particles PM 2.5 PM 10

And others...

Benzene

Other health effects Heart

diseases/problems Cataract (blindness) Burns from fire/flame

Kerosene Lamp

Poisoning from ingesting fuels

Open fire for cooking and heating

Diagram fromthe report Survive Breathing. Credit: GRID-Arendal/Hugo Ahlenius

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