Understanding the impacts of climate change on the Northern Inuit community

Abstract

he increasing rate of anthropogenic climate change has a serious impact on weather and temperature, wildlife and vegetation patterns, and food and water availability. The dramatic effects of climate change are also experienced by the Indigenous communities of the North, making them the primary victims of this existential global health threat. While it is recognized that climate change can cause emotional and mental distress to a general population, the effects of climate have significant impacts on the Northern Inuit community who use the land to hunt, harvest, and practice their cultural beliefs. With the Indigenous population already at a higher risk and susceptibility to health disparities, climate change is an additional factor that further exacerbates the land-based relationality. Inuit mental health relies on the stability of land-based associations which allows the community to connect with their ancestors, nature, and history. A disconnect in relationality to the land, an involuntary diminishment of important cultural ties, and relocation are all involuntary environmental stressors that were thrust onto Indigenous communities due to climate change. While the impacts of climate change may contribute to re-traumatization, stress, and negative mental health, there is also strength found within the changes which demonstrate cultural resiliency. This paper aims to understand the impacts of climate change on the Indigenous communities of the north, with a key focus on Inuit mental health and land-based relationality within Inuit mental health.