Global warming bear campaign is cold comfort for Inuit

Published on Saturday 19 January 2008 19:14

LEADERS of Canada's Arctic Inuit people have criticised US environmentalists for pushing Washington to declare the polar bear a threatened species.

The move is unnecessary and would hurt the economy of the far north of the country, the residents of the remote Nunavut territory claim.

The US has delayed a decision on whether global warming threatened polar bears on the grounds that it needed more time to analyse data. Three US green groups said they would sue for quicker action.

The Inuit fear that if Washington does declare the bear a threatened species, it will deter US hunters, who spend millions of dollars a year for the right to shoot the animals in the Canadian Arctic.

Environmentalists say global warming is shrinking the sea ice that polar bears use as a platform to hunt seals.

Mary Simon, of the Inuit Tapiriit of Canada group, said green organisations were using polar bears as an excuse to attack the administration of US President George Bush over its position on climate change.

"As Inuit we fundamentally disagree with such tactics... the polar bear is a very important subsistence, economic, cultural, conservation, management, and rights concern for Inuit in Canada," she said.

"It's a complex and multi-level concern. But it seems the media, environmental groups and the public are looking at this in overly simplistic black-and-white terms as the demise of the polar bear from climate change and sports hunting."

Scientists estimate that the world's polar bear population is around 25,000. Two-thirds of the animals live in Canada, almost all of them in the Arctic territory of Nunavut. The US Geological Survey said last year that two-thirds of the world's polar bears could be gone by 2050 if predictions about melting sea ice hold true.

From July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, a total of 498 bears were killed in Nunavut. Sports hunters, who can pay 15,000 or more to kill a bear, shot 120 animals. Hunters spend an estimated 1.75m a year in Nunavut, where living costs and unemployment are high.

"This law suit is not very constructive, but meant for publicity," said Duane Smith, president of the Canadian branch of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, who insisted the hunt is highly regulated.

"Our hunters and guides benefit economically, and we are able to continue with our culture, enjoy the benefits of what we use and ensure this is done in a responsible and sustainable manner."