Local Municipalities Voice Concerns, Sue, Over U.S. Emissions

"GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE HAS BECOME a very local problem for the Inuit. In the Arctic, average temperatures are increasing around twice the average global rate. The results have included increasing precipitation, thawing permafrost, melting glaciers, and rising river flows and sea level. These environmental changes threaten Inuit hunting culture, food security, and health. For example, the wildlife herds and marine and freshwater fisheries, from which they obtain food, have significantly diminished in size.

Climate change has a devastating impact on vulnerable populations around the worldâ€"not just on those who live in the Arctic. Island states face rising sea levels, changes in rainfall patterns and prevailing winds, and variability in wave action. Alpine communities, such as those in and near Nepal's Sagarmatha [Everest] National Park are endangered as melting glaciers create alpine lakes that overflow their boundaries. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has concluded that although some areas might experience beneficial impacts from climate change, most parts of the world will likely experience detrimental effects."

"The Inuit petition is just one of a wide range of activities by communities and entities around the world reacting to the failure of national and global entities to address climate change effectively. While these measuresâ€"whether in the Arctic Circle, the Pacific Northwest, or Australiaâ€"may seem too small-scale to address such a transnational problem, combating climate change effectively requires an engagement of its local dimensions."

Thanks to Jess McCuan