My homeland arctic is melting….. Let the Arctic speak to the world on an issue that threatens us all…

This is what said Sheila Watt-Cloutier (Chair of Inuit Circumpolar Conference, to the United Nations Environment Programme), at the ”Champions of the Earth” Award Ceremony, New York, April 19, 2005:

“…This assessment projects massive depletion of summer sea-ice, with the virtual disappearance of polar bears, walrus, and some species of seals and marine birds within the lifetime of my grandson. Climate change is the ultimate threat to my already challenged culture. It is about children and families, and the future of our communities. This is why climate change is a human rights issue and why we will petition the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to encourage the United States to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases. All countries have to reduce emission of greenhouse gases. We recommend that the Government of Canada and the other Arctic states, particularly Russia and the United States, enable their Arctic residents to speak directly to the Conference of Parties to the climate change convention in Montreal later this year. Let the Arctic speak to the world on an issue that threatens us all…”.