Land use and climate change : an assessment of climate-society interactions in Aklavik NWT
Date
1994
Authors
Aharonian, Dave Alexander
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Abstract
The relationship between climate and society has been studied in Aklavik NWT. in order to illustrate the impact of climate upon the community in general, and to determine the impacts of a warmer future climate. The climate impact assessment literature has revealed a lack of study on the impacts for human settlements, especially in regions such as the Canadian North where Aboriginal peoples continue to rely on subsistence activities. A methodology for studying the community of Aklavik has been explained as well as a review of previous climate impact assessment. Historic and preĀhistoric settlement of the North American Arctic has been examined to illustrate the relationship between human settlement of northern regions and changes in the regional climate. Aboriginal settlement in the Mackenzie Delta area has been further examined to illustrate both the historic and present use of the land for subsistence activities (hunting, trapping and fishing) by these peoples. A detailed examination of the community of Aklavik revealed a pattern of land use consistent with that of previous generations. These activities were found to be very important for the community as subsistence activities are considered to be a strong form of cultural affirmation. Perceptions of community members to climatic change were examined and revealed a large number of individuals unfamiliar with global warming. Most people do feel that there have been changes in the regional climate with winters becoming warmer and summers hotter. However, the prevailing attitude is that such changes are due to natural climatic variation rather than anthropogenically-induced climatic change. Given present trends in the community, two future scenarios were proposed centred upon; 1) a continuation of subsistence activities; and 2) a decline in subsistence activities coupled with increased economic development. Future climate warming will produce both positive and negative impacts for the community, with the most serious being impacts upon the biological systems of the region. However, a lack of information dealing with these systems makes future predictions unreliable. The community does appear to be quite resilient to changes in climate. Given time to adapt to changes in the region's biological systems, the negative impacts of climate change can be reduced.