As race for oil-rich Arctic heats up, Inuit stake their claim, too

Indigenous to the region, the Inuit want a 'meaningful voice' in the territory dispute.

from the September 25, 2007 edition

Page 2 of 2

Page 1 | 2

Now the Inuit want their voices heard about the future of the central Arctic basin, 2 million square kilometers of seabed that Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the United States are expected to be divvying up among themselves, based on assertions that their respective continental shelves extend into the area.

"The Inuit have lived in the Arctic for a very, very long time and we should have some role to play in regard to what happens here," says Duane Smith, president of ICC-Canada, who is based in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. "We are the ones living here, and any detrimental impact to the area will have an effect on our way of life and our culture."

While nobody lives in the contested region around the North Pole, Inuit leaders say activities there will affect their communities, some of which are only a few hundred miles away. Increased shipping over the pole or through the Northwest Passage could disrupt ice cover and the migration patterns of animals that hunters rely on. Military rivalries might mean more land being appropriated for naval and air bases, which in the past have left environmental and cultural degradation. Then there's the possibility of oil spills, if petroleum is indeed found.

"We experienced the Exxon Valdez spill and we've seen the devastation that it brought to our communities in Alaska," says ICC chairman Patricia Cochran of Nome, Alaska. "We're concerned about increased traffic, increased pollution, and increased number of visitors to communities that aren't used to an influx of population."

Some are calling on the outside world to take a deep breath, step back, and perhaps consider protecting the region under an international treaty. "One of ICC's objectives is to keep the Arctic out of the hands of the military and encourage peaceful uses of the North Pole," says Lynge. "Maybe we should think of a kind of 'peace sanctuary' around the North Pole where we all can benefit."

If claims go forward, Greenland's Inuit stand to get a piece of the pie. They constitute 90 percent of the 56,000 people living in Greenland, where they control local government and where Greenlandic is the official language. Denmark has given Greenland an open door to independence – the island's economic viability is the only sticking point – and expects any new polar claims will ultimately belong to them.

"We are launching a claim in the Arctic only on behalf of the Greenlanders," which would inherit any of Denmark's Arctic territory once they become independent, says Svend Auken, a veteran Danish politician and former energy minister.

Aleqa Hammond, minister for finance and foreign affairs of Greenland's home rule government, has no doubts in that regard. "The Russians came and planted their flag up there on the North Pole, but everyone knows it's Greenlandic," she says with a smile. "The last land before you reach the pole is Greenlandic land."

1 | Page 2