Ryan: Where are we?

Morgan: It looks like we are up North - maybe near the Arctic Ocean - those houses look familiar.

Ryan: It looks very cold here - not even a single tree!

Inukshuk: That's right, there are no trees here. We're in Sachs Harbour, a small Inuit community on Banks Island in the far north. The elders and other people in the town have hunted and fished here for many years. Because of this, they notice even small changes in the land, the animals and the sea.

Morgan: Is climate change happening here?

Ryan: Brr-rr! It looks so cold here - if it got warmer, it would be a good thing!

Inukshuk: Yes, climate change is happening here, but no, it is not necessarily a 'good thing' if it gets warmer here.

Morgan: Are the people in Sachs Harbour noticing changes in the world around them because of climate change?

Inukshuk: Good question. Because the people of Sachs Harbour live so close to the land, they know things about the land and the animals that scientists do not know. This knowledge is called Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit - which means "that which are long known by Inuit". Some people call it traditional knowledge. It is what has allowed Inuit to survive in such a harsh environment.

Ryan: So Inuit Qa...Qalama...Qa - Traditional Knowledge helped them to see the changes?

Inukshuk: Yes, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit have allowed the Inuit in Sachs Harbour to see changes related to a warming climate. A few years ago the residents started noticing changes in the environment they live in. Changes in the annual cycles of birds coming to the island, caribou altering the routes they follow when migrating, and the permafrost - the permanently frozen ground of the Arctic - is melting.

Ryan: Wow. So what did all this mean for the Inuit?

Inukshuk: All of these changes have serious impacts on the land and the people who live here. They contacted scientists from the south to help them find out why these things were happening.

Morgan: What did the scientists do?

Inukshuk: A number of them came to Sachs Harbour to document what the residents were saying. It is very important for scientists to understand this knowledge, because it can provide detailed information about the cycles of life in a particular area, such as Banks Island, and how those cycles are being affected by climate change.

Ryan: But what good is it to just write things down? Just because they know what is happening doesn't mean anything will be done about it.

Inukshuk: The people of Sachs Harbour want the world to know what is happening in their community. It's also important for the residents to understand what is happening around them. It may be easier for them to find ways to adapt to these changes - the way Inuit have always adapted to changes in the environment.

Ryan: But why should the rest of the world care about what is happening in a place like Sachs Harbour?

Inukshuk: I can best explain it to you like this: a long time ago, coal miners used to take canaries down into the mines because they are affected before humans by dangerous gases in the mine that might explode.

Morgan: I've heard of this - the canary in a coalmine!

Inukshuk: Yes, exactly. The canaries acted as the miners' early warning system. The residents of Sachs Harbour feel like they are the planet's canaries in a coalmine - the early warnings of something bad that will happen everywhere else.

Ryan: How can things like birds changing their schedules affect peoples' lives so much?

Inukshuk: I have tried to show you how closely the residents of Sachs Harbour are to the land, and that those changes can affect people in many ways. Imagine if a species of bird that the residents depend on for food, such as geese, radically change their behavior. If it now arrives on the island when the melting ice makes it dangerous for hunters to travel, then it may become more difficult for people to get enough food to feed their families. They may have to rely on store-bought foods, which can be very expensive in a place like Sachs Harbour.

Morgan: They won't be able to eat geese anymore! But they taste so good!

Inukshuk: Yes, it would be a great loss to the people of Sachs Harbour if geese disappeared from their diet. Do you remember what I said about the permafrost melting?

Morgan: Permafrost - yes - the ground here is frozen!

Inukshuk: Yes, but due to climate change, in some areas it is melting. That can cause a lot of problems for the people who live in the North. For example, all of these houses are built on permafrost. If it were to melt, the houses would lose the very foundations they are sitting on.

Ryan: You mean the houses would just sink into the ground?

Inukshuk: Let's just say that the houses would no longer be safe to live in. Permafrost melt can cause other problems as well. The coastline is eroding very quickly as the permafrost melts. This is changing the entire landscape. The people here do not know what to think about this and are scared for the future. They worry that the way of life they have had for centuries may be disappearing, just like the permafrost.

Morgan: Wow, I didn't know that these changes could cause so many problems for people.

Inukshuk: It is true that some of these changes are causing a lot of problems, but not all changes are bad. For example, if the temperature outside is warmer, people won't need to consume so much fuel to heat their houses in the winter. And, with everyone working together to deal with these changes, like the way the people of Sachs Harbour and the scientists worked together, we can be sure that the best work is being done to help everyone deal with what is climate change.

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