The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 23 January, 2023
Nurses Stage Walkout Throughout Hudson Bay
As reported by Nunatsiaq News on January 20, nurses at clinics throughout the Hudson Bay coast in Nunavik, Quebec, staged a walkout over staffing shortages and working conditions. The protest began at 5 pm on January 19 and ended the following morning after the nurses were ordered to return to work by the Quebec Administrative Labour Tribunal, who intervened at the request of the nurses employer, Inuulitsivik Health Centre. Following the walkout, the nurses’ union and Inuulitsivik management have arranged meetings to discuss the situation and attempt to address concerns. (Nunatsiaq News)
Take 1: The walkout highlights the ongoing healthcare crisis in Indigenous communities in the Canadian Arctic, where access to healthcare services remains a critical and long-standing issue.. These communities are often located in remote areas that can only be accessed by air or sea, which makes it difficult for healthcare services to reach these communities. Coupled with historic underinvestment and insufficient resources, the resulting lack of medical infrastructure has failed to meet the basic health needs of Indigenous communities. Therefore, nurses have an enlarged role in these communities and serve as primary care providers. While attracting and retaining healthcare professionals has always been a challenge in the region, the situation has become worse as a result of nursing shortages left as a result of the COVID-19 pandemicFor the nurses that remain, they are faced with a significant workload and mandatory overtime to provide enough care for residents. These working conditions not only lead to burnout but also reduce retention, intensifying the shortage and perpetuating the crisis. The walkout by the nurses draws attention to the severe conditions for nurses in Hudson Bay coast, but it is a situation that is reflected in communities across northern Canada. The federal and provincial governments must invest in health infrastructure and implement long-term programs, such as training and supporting Indigenous Peoples to become healthcare professionals, to alleviate the crisis. (CBC News, CTV News, Polar Journal)
Climate Change Affecting Ice Freezing and Melting Cycles
As reported by Inside Climate News on January 23, an international team of scientists have found that climate change is affecting the timings of when Arctic ice freezes and melts. The study, which was published in The Cryosphere, used data from satellites and surface buoys between 2001 and 2018 to examine ice freezing and thaw cycles. The researchers used the data to observe that ice at the base of glaciers or ice sheets, also known as basal ice, forms later than surface ice since water temperatures are warmer than the atmosphere. (Inside Climate News)
Take 2: Global warming is rapidly transforming the Arctic. Scientists have predicted that the loss of summertime Arctic sea ice is now inevitable by 2050, and more than half of the world’s glaciers, including hundreds across the Arctic, will disappear by the end of the century due to climate change. This will have a multitude of consequences for the Arctic environment and its inhabitants. Melting sea ice contributes to stronger Arctic storms that can devastate coastal communities, such as Typhoon Merbok, which hit western Alaska last year. Intense storms and heavy rainfall can also trigger landslides and coastal erosion that destroy houses, roads, and other critical infrastructure. Moreover, coastal erosion and rising sea levels from melting ice enhance the risk of flooding and expose the community to potential storm surges. Indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable to these threats due to their remote location and lack of infrastructure, which make response and mitigation efforts difficult. Arctic sea ice and glacier melt can also affect ocean currents, which is essential for regulating the Earth’s climate. Although the new study provides critical insights into how Arctic ice melt is evolving, more research is clearly needed to understand the future of the Arctic ice-ocean system. Given the vital importance of the region, scientists must continue to monitor these changes. (Anchorage Daily News, Earth Observatory, NASA, Reuters)
Norway: On the Path to More Oil and Gas
As reported by Reuters on January 24, the Norwegian government announced that it plans to offer 92 oil and gas exploration blocks in the Norwegian and Barents Seas to energy firms. The blocks will be added as part of the Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) licensing round, which allocates areas with well-known geology or near existing infrastructure for hydrocarbon production. The proposal is the highest number of blocks offered by Norway since APA licensing rounds started in 2003. (Reuters)
Take 3: The proposal to offer 92 blocks in the seas north of Norway follows the Norwegian government’s recent announcement to award 47 new offshore oil and gas exploration permits. While many Arctic countries have taken measures to reduce or ban Arctic oil and gas exploration, Norway seems committed to expanding the extraction of hydrocarbons in the region – despite warnings that it can be incredibly harmful to the Arctic’s vulnerable ecosystem. Oil and gas production is already a complex and dangerous process, but the harsh conditions in the High North make it even more difficult for energy firms to operate safely. In addition to the region’s intense conditions, the remote location and lack of infrastructure hinder the effectiveness of clean-up and disaster response. Any accidents would as a result be disastrous for the environment. The Exxon Valdez accident of 1989 provides a clear example of the risks, where the resultant spill affected more than 1,300 miles of shoreline, killing an estimated 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 22 killer whales, and innumerous other wildlife. Moreover, offshore oil and gas exploration requires ships, machinery, and equipment, which can cause underwater noise pollution that harms marine mammals. Although Norway argues that facilitating new oil and gas discoveries through the new blocks is important for the country, it should reconsider its proposal to better protect the Arctic’s fragile ecosystem. (NOAA, Ocean Conservancy, Reuters, World Wildlife Fund)
Indigenous Knowledge to Contribute to IMO Underwater Noise Pollution Review
As reported by Eye in the Arctic on January 25, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced that it will be revising its voluntary guidelines for reducing underwater noise pollution that was adopted in 2014. The review, which was pushed for by the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), will incorporate Indigenous knowledge and engage with Indigenous communities during the assessment process. The IMO has created a working group to conduct the review, and the recommendations for the new guidelines will be presented in 2023 at the 80th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee. (Eye in the Arctic)
Take 4: The IMO’s historic decision to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into its review of reducing underwater noise is a significant step forward in addressing the issue of noise pollution in the Arctic. Home to many marine mammals that rely on sound to survive, underwater noise pollution is a serious issue for the Arctic. Ships create noise in numerous ways, including from propellers and heavy machinery. These sounds negatively impact noise-sensitive species by displacing them from their habitats, causing stress, and disrupting essential biological functions, like communication and navigation. However, underwater noise pollution does not only affect marine life. Arctic Indigenous coastal communities rely heavily on marine mammals and fish for their food and culture. With the region continuing to warm, maritime shipping is likely to increase, placing the coastal environment and Indigenous communities at greater risk. As the group most affected by this issue, it is only right that the IMO plans to engage with Indigenous communities on reducing underwater noise. The IMO’s decision illustrates the importance of including Indigenous Peoples in international organizations, so that critical issues that affect them, like underwater noise, get put on the agenda- on their terms. (Nunatsiaq News, Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment, The Guardian, World Wildlife Fund)
Arctic Biodiversity: Species from the South
As reported by Phys.org on January 23, a new research paper published in PNAS found that global warming is pushing fish species that are generally found in warmer areas into the Arctic. Using trawl or fishing surveys in the Norwegian and Barents Seas, scientists from Nord University noted that the average number of species caught in each trawl rose from 8 to 13 fish types between 1994 and 2020. The researchers also determined that 71 warm-water fish species are now more common in the Arctic, while 23 species typically in the area have become less common. (Phys.org)
Take 5: Biodiversity, which refers to the variety of living organisms, is widely accepted as something beneficial for the environment. Just looking at the increase in the number of fish species in Arctic seas, the study’s findings might seem like something worth celebrating. However, while there are now more species of fish in the circumpolar North, the paper also reveals that many of these fish species have moved into the Arctic from warmer waters. As temperatures continue to rise, global warming will drive more plant and animal species into the Arctic. These invasive southern species can destabilize the region’s unique ecosystem and threaten the local Arctic wildlife. As the Arctic becomes warmer, it will become increasingly difficult for native species that are adapted to colder environments to survive; the overall increase in local biodiversity obscures the fact that species usually found in the area have declined. Yet the long-term impacts of invasive species in the Arctic are not clear, and non-native species can sometimes contribute to regional biodiversity in important ways. In this way, the study raises questions about the usefulness of biodiversity as a measure, while also highlighting the need for ongoing research and monitoring of the Arctic ecosystem in light of climate change. (Arctic Council, American Scientist, Vox)