Inuit blame Bush for impending extinction

Inuit blame Bush for impending extinction
By Paul Brown in Milan
December 13, 2003

The Inuit people of Canada and Alaska are bringing a human rights case
against the Bush Administration, claiming
they face extinction because of global warming.

The Inuit say that by repudiating the Kyoto protocol and refusing to cut
carbon dioxide emissions in the US, which
make up 25 per cent of the world total, the White House is violating
their human rights, .

The Inuit are inviting the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,
based in Washington, to visit the Arctic
Circle to see the devastation caused by global warming.

Sheila Watt-Cloutier, the chairwoman of the Inuit Circumpolar
Conference, which represents all 155,000 of her
people inside the Arctic Circle, said: "We want to show that we are not
powerless victims. These are drastic times
for our people and require drastic measures."

The human rights case was announced at the climate talks in Milan where
140 countries are trying to put the
finishing touches on the Kyoto protocol.

The backing of Russia, which is hesitant about ratifying, is required to
bring the protocol into force. The US is trying
to persuade Russia not to sign.

The Inuit have no voice at the conference, since they are not a nation
state, but Mrs Watt-Cloutier said: "This a
David and Goliath story. Most people have lost contact with the natural
world. They even think global warming has
benefits, like wearing a T-shirt in November, but we know the planet is
melting and with it our vibrant culture, our
way of life. We are an endangered species, too."

Mrs Watt-Cloutier comes from Pangnirtung in the north of Canada. The
entire area should already be ice-bound, and
winter hunting would normally have begun. But in Frobisher Bay, the home
of polar bears and Inuit, the water is still
clear. "We now have weeks of uncertainty about when the ice will come,"
she said. "In the spring, the ice melts not
at the end of June but weeks earlier. Sometimes the ice is so thin
hunters fall through.

"The ocean is too warm. Our elders, who instruct the young on the ways
of the winter and what to expect, are at a
loss."

The Washington-based commission will be asked to rule against the US
Government, but has no power to enforce
action.

However, the Inuit believe the publicity the case will provide,
particularly with hearings in Washington, will
embarrass the Government and influence US public opinion.

Meanwhile three UN organisations warned on Thursday that at least
150,000 people die needlessly each year as a
direct result of global warming.

A report to the climate talks, produced by the World Health
Organisation, the UN Environment Program and the
World Meteorological Program, details how changes have already brought
about a noticeable increase in malnutrition
and outbreaks of diarrhoea and malaria in the poorest countries.

Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, a WHO scientist, said the number of deaths was
expected to double in the next 30
years.

The Guardian

This story was found at:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/12/1071125653832.html

-- -Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island
http://www.anaphoria.com
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