Globalization+of+the+Inuit

__Background__ The epidemic of globalization has spared no one. Every region of the world has experienced a revolution of modernization and inter-connectedness never before seen in the history of human civilization. It seems as if this phenomenon of globalization has been embraced by all and accepted as the natural progression of human evolution and development. However, many indigenous groups are making a stand against this movement and this includes the Inuit groups of the Arctic region. The Inuits are resisting globalization and are fighting for their cultural and traditional autonomous rights through the Inuit Circumpolar Council made up of representatives of the different Inuit communities in the region. Founded in 1977, the Inuit Circumpolar Council was established to fight for traditional and cultural rights with a united voice of the approximately 150,000 Inuits living in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Russia (Chukotka). The ICC has grown into a highly-respected international non-governmental organization that holds a Consulate Status II, given to them by the United Nations. The main tenets of this council include:

The ICC and many like it represent a resistance and a possible solution to try and protect the autonomous Inuit nation that has faced the threat of globalization in the modern era. The Inuit nation is fighting off this threat and are trying to preserve an identity that has been rooted in time for centuries. For many globalization is a welcomed step towards industrialization and development, but for the Inuit and especially the ICC, they see it as a step away from their past and national identity and a step towards a lost culture and tradition (ICC About Page). __Global Climate Change__ There is no question that global temperatures are rising and that the polar ice caps of the Arctic are slowing melting away. For a indigenous group like the Inuits, this problems is more real and concrete than anywhere else in the world, because the rising temperature change is directly impacting the Inuits. Timothy Leduc, author of __//Climate, Culture, Change: Inuit and Western Dialogues with a Warming North//__, examines the affects of climate change on the traditions and practices of Arctic Inuits, including the Copper inuits. Timothy B. Leduc offers the reader a first hand account of the immediate effects of rising global temperature through the story of the hunters of the Inuit north. He describes this north region as the "canary of the mines" because it offers scientists and scholars evidence and a signal to dangers that lurk. This new danger of climate change is affecting the way the Inuits hunt, live, and interact with their environment, not to mention political organizations and environmental groups. Leduc argues that as a result of "this interaction with political organizations trying to deal with climate change, Inuit culture has been forced into a false dichotomy of either becoming more interconnected to Canadian and international forces and thus lose the claim of being indigenous and practicing a culture that is not allowed to evolve despite the ecological impact of Western political economic forces." As a result of globalization and this man-made rise in global temperature, Leduc is presenting the fact that because of globalization and industrialization, there has been a rise in temperatures, which is impacting the Inuit nation negatively and leading to an unwanted relation with outside forces that the Inuits have no desire to deal with. However, Leduc also examines how the Inuits, who are experiencing the impact offer a key to figuring out just how to deal with climate change. Unfortunately, the Inuits, in keeping with their traditions and cultural identity, want nothing to do with lending a hand because they themselves adapt with their environment that only they can do because of their long history and traditional techniques (Leduc).
 * strengthen unity among Inuit of the circumpolar region;
 * promote Inuit rights and interests on an international level;
 * develop and encourage long-term policies that safeguard the Arctic environment; and
 * seek full and active partnership in the political, economic, and social development of circumpolar regions.

This global climate change can not be blamed on the Inuits, but rather on the industrialized world around them. As ice caps continue to melt, the Inuits see more and more activity as far as oil exploration, mining, industrial development, and Arctic trading. It has reached a point where Inuit groups notice a change almost on a daily basis. As the Inuits try and hold onto their own land and culture, globalization continues to surround them almost non stop. This interesting coexistence has prompted such groups as the ICC to fight for environmental compensations and rights. This idea will be explained in the next section under "Initiatives". __ICC's Efforts and Initiatives__ The ICC has advocated and participated in climate change dialogue. Since they are the victims of climate change and their very existence relies on fixing climate change, the ICC has provided recommendations and engaged in talks with outside organizations working towards resolutions. ICC has participated in the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA). The ICC has helped to draft climate change policy recommendations in cooperation with all six permanent participants to the Arctic Council. As a result, these recommendations were approved by Arctic Council ministers in November 2004. The ICC also participated in Conferences of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Milan, Buenos Aires, and Montreal through 2002-2006. ICC then supported the ICC Chair and 60 other Inuit from Alaska and Canada in mounting a path-breaking climate change-based petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (ICC Initiatives Page). Efforts have also been made to support the preservation of the Inuit language within the community. The ICC has provided funds and scholarships to the Inuit Circumpolar Youth Council (ICYC) that allowed for networking and information sharing amongst youth throughout the region so that they can relate, share, and preserve their culture.