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Inuit Knowledge & Climate Change: Lukie Airut
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Lukie Airut from Igloolik speaks about climate change.
The light is coming up in the winter time, blowing snow and boring. It was colder, not to long ago.
This spring we noticed that the ice melted quickly. It didn't thaw in two stages. It normally melts, flooding the top, and the bottom layer is still solid. We used to dog team across this bumpy, deeply flooded ice, and we would get stuck traveling through the ice ponds. That bottom layer of ice had no holes and was very thick. This year, the ice melted all at once, and it didn't get to the second stage.
To us Inuit, we notice that the ice is thinning because of the sea. Being here, it was always cold, but it's not like that anymore. The ice thinner and, it seems, the warmth is coming from the sea.
They're melting, the snow patches. Way up on the hills, there used to be snow, they're all melted, and you see this different colour of rock. Just bare rock. I noticed this. And, all the ponds drained that never used to drain.
It's noticeable the land is melting too. Due to melting of the permafrost, today all these ponds are draining. The thawed land has gone further down.
At Ikpik, I've noticed, where there used to be a sandy beach that people would walk on - especially children. I went to that place, it's now all covered in moss, totally covered in moss.
I didn't believe what the southerners were saying. But now, I'm starting to agree with them.