It is important for Arctic Indigenous peoples to be heard at this crucial meeting, to help people understand why we need the Arctic to remain cool by reducing emissions from shipping and other sectors.
It’s not every day that elder Alaska Natives are heard and respected by leaders from around the world.
We would see an estimated 700% increase in shipping traffic in the Salish Sea. With it would come increased risks to fishing families, coastal communities and our marine wildlife.
Pollution threats from HFO tie into the very fiber of our lives — affecting our access to healthy wildlife for food and the quality of our lands.
The threat posed by heavy fuel oil in the Arctic is substantial. In fragile, ice-covered marine environments, use of this fuel by ships is a disaster waiting to happen.
Being part of the IMO process is integral for the health and wellbeing of our oceans. I am thankful for our partners and funders for helping to make a difference in the lives of Arctic communities, wildlife and the environment.
As someone with family and ancestral roots in the Arctic region who tries to inform their communities on such proposals, I was glad to be able to testify as a representative from Friends of the Earth.
The environmental, climate, health, safety and economic risks from Trump’s extreme energy agenda are numerous, but they are not the only dangers presented by expanded offshore drilling.
Often we hear much talk about balancing economic and environmental concerns, and this idea -- which has widespread support -- is referred to as sustainable development. One of the places on earth where there has been substantial discussion of sustainable development is the Arctic. This is because the region contains abundant natural resources, such as oil, gas and minerals, that companies and governments are seeking to exploit. The region, as well, is seeing increasing amounts…
On April 24, at the Ministerial meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut, the United States will chair the Arctic Council, taking over from Canada. The last time the U.S. held the gavel at the Council -- a high-level intergovernmental forum composed of eight nations and six native organizations focused on sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic region -- was 2000. Much has transpired in the Arctic in the time since the U.S. last chaired the…