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Community-based vulnerability assessment of Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, Canada to environmental and socio-economic changes

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Abstract

Environmental change in the Canadian Arctic has implications for livelihoods, food systems, infrastructure and Inuit culture. Although Inuit communities are located in industrialized countries, their integral connections with the natural environments contribute to significant exposures and sensitivities to changing conditions. This paper characterizes the vulnerability of Tuktoyaktuk in the western Canadian Arctic to climate change in the context of ongoing socio-economic and environmental changes. Existing stresses in the community influence infrastructure, livelihoods and wellbeing. Strategies for adapting to adverse conditions have largely been tactical and short term, rather than planned actions in anticipation of changes in climate. In light of projected intensification of climate change and a proposed natural gas pipeline in the Tuktoyaktuk area, the community is expected to experience new stresses in the future. Future adaptation planning and policy needs to enable community involvement in the protection of important community attributes.

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Acknowledgments

Thank you to everyone in Tuktoyaktuk who supported and participated in this research, especially Rebecca Pokiak, Tessa Dillon, James Pokiak and Maureen Pokiak. Maps were created by Adam Bonnycastle and Marie Puddister. Thank you to Gavin Manson of the Geological Survey of Canada for support in reproducing Fig. 5. Funding for this research was provided by ArcticNet, Aurora Research Institute, SSHRC, CRC and IPY Canada. The paper was improved by discussion with colleagues in the Global Environmental Change Group and comments from two anonymous reviewers.

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    Mark Andrachuk & Barry Smit

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Andrachuk, M., Smit, B. Community-based vulnerability assessment of Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, Canada to environmental and socio-economic changes. Reg Environ Change 12, 867–885 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-012-0299-0

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