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September 6, 2002
Inuit leaders worry Arctic
being ignored at Johannesburg summit
Inuit leaders attending
the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa,
this week were concerned the Arctic would be ignored in the final political
declaration.
"Climate change and
contaminants are issues Inuit are dealing with daily," said Sheila Watt-Cloutier,
chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference.
"The impacts are dramatic.
The snow and ice upon which our very lives depend is rapidly melting before
our eyes because of global warming. What is happening in the Arctic today is
a snapshot of the planets future," she said.
However, there were limited
opportunities at WSSD to present concerns about the sustainability of Inuit
culture.
In a speech on Monday,
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien said Inuit were being detrimentally affected
by climate change. He committed to bring the Kyoto Protocol before parliament
for ratification before the end of the year.
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