Climate-Induced Change and Human Mobility. The National and International Approach to Native Community Relocation in the Arctic

Abstract

Climate change, and its consequences for the Arctic—in particular melting ice, stronger storms, growing erosion or thawing permafrost—are causing what some term a humanitarian crisis for the Native communities who have lived in the zone for thousands of years. This is a phenomenon that affects their way of life and traditional means of subsistence and, which in extreme cases - especially for people living in coastal areas—prevents them from continuing to live in their habitual locations. As the territories they inhabit shrink in size, these populations are obliged to abandon their natural habitats for safer zones within the State. The States affected have reacted with long-established humanitarian responses to the extreme environmental events, disaster relief and hazard mitigation, but these strategies are not sufficient to protect the community in the face of a rapid deterioration of the environment, and in some zones this is now no longer a viable solution.