Many Canadian Inuit Go Hungry
More than half of Inuit adults in northern Canada don’t have enough food to eat, according to a recent Statistics Canada report.
According to Nunatsiaq News, the report found that in 2012, 52 per cent of Inuit adults reported food insecurity across Inuit Nunangat, the four sub-regions that Canadian Inuit consider their homeland.
Respondents in Nunavut and Nunavik reported the highest levels of food insecurity, at around 55 per cent. They were followed by Nunatsiavut at 42 per cent, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region at 33 per cent. Only about 14 per cent of Inuit living outside Inuit Nunangat experienced food insecurity.
Single parents, the unemployed and those suffering from mental-health issues are those most likely to face such issues.
E.U. Wants to Ban Heavy Fuel Oil in the Arctic
The European Parliament’s committees on foreign affairs and environment passed a resolution this week that calls for banning the use of heavy fuel oil in ships navigating Arctic waters.
As the Independent Barents Observer reports, the thick, viscous fuel is extremely difficult to clean up in Arctic waters, but cleaner fuels are much more expensive. If banning the use of heavy fuel oil in Arctic shipping isn’t feasible, E.U. parliamentarians want to instead ban its use in ships calling at E.U. ports. The resolution will face a full vote by the European Parliament on March 2.
Norwegian Parliamentarians Denied Entry to Russia
Norway’s foreign affairs and defense committee cancelled meetings in Moscow this week, after two of its members were denied entry to Russia.
As the Independent Barents Observer reports, the Norwegian delegation called off the meetings because of the entry denials. Norway says the snub is in response to restrictions imposed upon Russia following the annexation of Crimea, as well as Oslo’s protests of a surprise visit to Svalbard by Russia’s deputy prime minister, who is barred entry to the E.U..
Recommended Reading:
- Washington Post: ‘Beyond the Extreme’: Scientists Marvel at ‘Increasingly Non-Natural’ Arctic Warmth
- Reuters: Putin’s Russia in Biggest Arctic Military Push Since Soviet Fall
- The Guardian: ‘You Can’t Live in a Museum’: The Battle for Greenland’s Uranium
- Core Spirit: Science and Shamanism in the Arctic
- Up Here: Freeze Frame – the Winners of the 2016 up Here Photo Contest