Inuit

The Inuit and their land spans across the territories of Northwest Siberia to Greenland. There are approximately 114,000 Inuit living in: Alaska (13,500 Inupiat, 21,000 central Alaskan Yup’ik, and 1,100, Siberian Yup’ik); Siberia (900 Siberian Yupik); Canada (31,000); and Greenland (46,400 Kalaallit). There are several Inuit subgroups across the Arctic. For example, there are eight main northern Canadian Inuit subgroups living in: Labrador, Ungava, Baffin Island, Iglulik, Caribou, Netsilik, Copper, and the western Arctic. The Alaska subgroups located near and above the Arctic Circle are called the Inupiat and those located on the Yukon-Kuskoquim delta are the Yup’ik. The words Inupiat and Yup’ik mean “real people.” In the northeastern part of Siberia between the Chukchi and Bering Sea, the Siberian Yup’ik are referred to as the Ankalyn and the Chavchu, meaning “coastal man” and “reindeer man,” respectively.

Coastal Erosion Impacts on the Inuit Erosion is a considerable risk posed to the coastal living Inuit. For many years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has noted the risks of coastal erosion because of the combined climate change effects of melting sea ice, permafrost thaw, storm surges, and waves. In the Arctic, there is evidence that the coastline has been retreating because of erosion exponentially for the past 50 years. The average rate of coastline erosion from 1955 to 1979 was calculated at 22.31 ft./year (6.8 m/year), but from 2002 to 2007, the average rate of coastline erosion was 44.62 ft./year (13.6 m/year ), and from 2007 to 2008, this erosion reached 82.02 ft./year (25 m/ year). The Inuit, Inupiat, and Yup’ik villages of Tuktoyaktuk (Canada), Pangnirtung, (Baffin Island, Nunavut), Newtok (Alaska), and Shishmaref (Alaska) have all experienced the effects of increased coastal erosion. The increasing effects of coastal erosion will result in relocation and abandonment of Inuit homes and villages and may create climate change refugees.

In Canada, there are several areas experiencing coastal and shoreline erosion because of climate change. Tuktoyaktuk, a low-lying port city off the Beaufort Sea with a mostly Inuit population of 860, is one such area. Factors that make Tuktoyaktuk particularly vulnerable to coastal erosion include thawing permafrost, storm surges, and decreased extent and duration of sea ice. Mitigation efforts to protect Tuktoyaktuk’s shoreline have not withstood the effects of storm surges and waves. Without effective mitigation efforts, it is anticipated that Tuktoyaktuk will eventually have to be evacuated. The Inuit village of Pangnirtung in Nunavut is also experiencing coastal erosion, along with other effects associated with climate change, such as changes in wind patterns, seasonal changes, and ice trends. In several coastal Alaskan villages, rising temperatures because of climate change are causing a reduction in winter sea ice and the melting of permafrost. The loss of these natural protective coastal barriers results in further coastal erosion. Invariably, the effects of climate change, including coastal erosion, will have the most immediate impact on those living near the coastline and practicing a traditional subsistence livelihood. Unfortunately, these persons will need to evacuate and relocate their homes.

Shishmaref, an Inupiat village on the Alaskan island of Sarichef, is home to approximately 560 inhabitants and has been experiencing significant coastal erosion since the early 2000s. Shishmaref is now facing the prospect of evacuation and relocation. The cost of the relocation project is estimated at $180 million. Newtok, an Alaskan city with a population of approximately 340 predominately Yup’ik inhabitants, has been experiencing serious erosion problems because of thawing permafrost, storm surges, and decreased extent and duration of sea ice, coupled with the Ninglick River eroding the shoreline. The erosion crisis has resulted in plans to move the village 9 mi. away at an estimated cost of $130 million. Kivalina, a coastal village located approximately 130 mi. north of Shishmaref, is also facing the prospect of evacuation and relocation. The projected cost to move the three Alaskan villages of Newtok, Kivalina, and Shishmaref is $450 million.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is attempting to mitigate the effects of erosion by building rock walls along the coasts of Shishmaref, Unalakleet, and Kivalina. The $41 million project is not a solution to the problem, but it is hoped that the plan will allow more time for relocation efforts. In 2003, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) claimed that 184 out of 213 Alaskan Native villages, or 86 percent, are susceptible to flooding and erosion. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has projected that there are 26 additional Alaskan villages in immediate danger of significant erosion, with another 60 villages being added in the next decade. The estimated future costs associated with protecting the Inuit, their lands, and livelihood in the Arctic will be substantial.