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Vulnerability and adaptive capacity of Inuit women to climate change: a case study from Iqaluit, Nunavut

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Bunce

    (McGill University)

  • James Ford

    (McGill University)

  • Sherilee Harper

    (University of Guelph)

  • Victoria Edge

    (University of Guelph)

Abstract

Climate change impacts in the Arctic will be differentiated by gender, yet few empirical studies have investigated how. We use a case study from the Inuit community of Iqaluit, Nunavut, to identify and characterize vulnerability and adaptive capacity of Inuit women to changing climatic conditions. Interviews were conducted with 42 Inuit women and were complimented with focus group discussions and participant observation to examine how women have experienced and responded to changes in climate already observed. Three key traditional activities were identified as being exposed and sensitive to changing conditions: berry picking, sewing, and the amount of time spent on the land. Several coping mechanisms were described to help women manage these exposure sensitivities, such as altering the timing and location of berry picking, and importing seal skins for sewing. The adaptive capacity to employ these mechanisms differed among participants; however, mental health, physical health, traditional/western education, access to country food and store bought foods, access to financial resources, social networks, and connection to Inuit identity emerged as key components of Inuit women’s adaptive capacity. The study finds that gender roles result in different pathways through which changing climatic conditions affect people locally, although the broad determinants of vulnerability and adaptive capacity for women are consistent with those identified for men in the scholarship more broadly.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Bunce & James Ford & Sherilee Harper & Victoria Edge, 2016. "Vulnerability and adaptive capacity of Inuit women to climate change: a case study from Iqaluit, Nunavut," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 83(3), pages 1419-1441, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:83:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1007_s11069-016-2398-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s11069-016-2398-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Emanuelsen, Kristin & Pearce, Tristan & Oakes, Jill & Harper, Sherilee L. & Ford, James D., 2020. "Sewing and Inuit women's health in the Canadian Arctic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    2. Luciana Iocca & Teresa Fidélis, 2023. "Is There a Place for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Climate Change Policy and Governance? Learnings from a Brazilian Case," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-20, August.
    3. Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson & Anna Hoad & Mei L. Trueba, 2024. "‘My appetite and mind would go’: Inuit perceptions of (im)mobility and wellbeing loss under climate change across Inuit Nunangat in the Canadian Arctic," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-20, December.
    4. Daria Burnasheva & Viktoria Filippova & Mariia Kuklina & Vera Kuklina & Antonina Savvinova, 2024. "Indigenous Knowledge for Sustainable Communications and Mobility: Perspectives from the Kolyma Road, Northeast Russia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-15, April.
    5. Middleton, Jacqueline & Cunsolo, Ashlee & Jones-Bitton, Andria & Shiwak, Inez & Wood, Michele & Pollock, Nathaniel & Flowers, Charlie & Harper, Sherilee L., 2020. "“We're people of the snow:” Weather, climate change, and Inuit mental wellness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    6. Fiona Charlson & Suhailah Ali & Tarik Benmarhnia & Madeleine Pearl & Alessandro Massazza & Jura Augustinavicius & James G. Scott, 2021. "Climate Change and Mental Health: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-38, April.
    7. Danielle Emma Johnson & Karen Fisher & Meg Parsons, 2022. "Diversifying Indigenous Vulnerability and Adaptation: An Intersectional Reading of Māori Women’s Experiences of Health, Wellbeing, and Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-40, May.

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