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C U R R I C U L U M C O N N E C T |
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Climate watch |
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 GREENLAND
My next stop was the northeast
coast of Greenland in Ittoqqor-toormiit
(also known as Scores-bysund).
I lived with a half Danish,
half Greenlandic family in a tiny
town of 500 people, and taught
English at the local school.
The land is gorgeous but
dangerous.
Examples of the societal and
emotional effects of climate change
are rampant everywhere. On one
hand, stricter hunting laws and
depleted resources have ruined
many families and much of the
native culture, making it literally
impossible for the Greenlanders to
support their traditional lifestyles. On
the other, people are often stalked
by polar bears, compelling them to
move around with rifles.
This is because global warming has affected the ice flow patterns,
melting the pack ice where Polar
bears and other animals live and
hunt. So they move to other areas to
survive.
Moreover, the ice melt has
forced the Greenlandic hunters to
travel further to capture animals,
devastating the basic economy of
these northern societies.
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NORWAY
I spent the next four months in
Longyearbyen, Norway – a modern
Arctic community. The support of
the Norwegian mainland allows it to
enjoy a very modern standard of
living. It is located in a prime area for
studying many aspects of the Arctic,
and about half of the 2,000
townspeople are associated with the
local Arctic University, and the rest work in the coal mines. The ocean
currents provide a rare opportunity
to observe the impact of changing
temperatures in the ocean water on
every organism.
My next stop was a permafrost
research station on the northeast
coast of Siberia. The work here was
to explore the way in which the local
communities were adapting to
climate change.
Worldwide, people are aware
of climate change, but seeing the
ice melt, the land change, and
living with both scientists and
natives, make it evident that these
areas are being changed forever –
naturally and socially. I hope that
my experience reminds people of
the unique communities and
cultures that are being devastated
by global warming. |
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