National Inuit org urges caution on Arctic carbon pricing

The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s policy statement on climate change says governments must ensure that the Inuit perspective when planning climate change strategies that affect Inuit Nunangat.

The federal government should use caution when imposing a carbon pricing regime on Arctic regions where Inuit live, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami said in a policy statement Sept. 29.

The national Inuit organization released the statement, entitled “Inuit Priorities for Canada’s Climate Strategy,” on Sept. 29, just ahead of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Oct. 3 announcement that Ottawa will impose a national carbon pricing system in 2018.

Trudeau said Canada will impose a national carbon price of $10 a tonne in 2018 on every province and territory that does not already use either a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system.

But ITK said governments should not impose carbon pricing and other policies in the Arctic without first looking at their potential impact on Inuit communities across Inuit Nunangat.

“This transition must be just and equitable for Inuit. Climate actions must be considered hand-in-glove with their links to troubling socio-economic inequities faced by Inuit,” ITK said.

To that end, ITK recommends a “comprehensive policy analysis examining how existing and emerging carbon pricing policies affect or will affect Inuit communities across Inuit Nunangat.”

And ITK said that such policy work should be “informed by Inuit-specific evidence and analysis examining how carbon pricing mechanisms have or are projected to impact the unique social and economic conditions of Inuit households.”

The Nunavik region is already covered by a cap-and-trade network that Quebec has joined, and the Nunatsiavut region may be affected by a carbon pricing mechanism that the Government of Newfoundland-Labrador intends to introduce.

As for the premiers of the three northern territories, they’re resolutely opposed to a carbon tax, saying such a measure could damage their fragile economies.

“The geographic remoteness and harsh winter climate of Nunavut force high transportation and energy costs on Nunavummiut. A price on carbon would likely inflict substantial costs on the people of Nunavut, yet achieve little reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” Nunavut Premier Peter Taptuna said Oct. 4

But Taptuna tempered his reaction by pointing out that Trudeau and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna have assured Nunavut they’ll take the unique nature of the North into account.

It’s not clear how Ottawa would do this, but in its policy statement, ITK suggests taking a look at “revenue recycling policy options that may benefit Inuit.”

That appears to mean a system through which carbon tax revenues are returned to those who pay the tax.

ITK also recommends government help Inuit regions build the capacity they need to shift from diesel-dependent energy generation towards a mix of diesel and renewable energy.

On that front, they say they’re excited by steps that Inuit outside Canada—such as in Greenland and Alaska— have taken to move towards renewable energy.

“In Kotzebue, Alaska, an Inuit community with a population of approximately 3,500 located in the Northwest Arctic Borough, the Kotzebue Electric Association has installed a wind farm made up of 17 turbines with a maximum capacity of 1.14MVW… The wind farm is currently being expanded to triple its capacity,” ITK said.

Also climate change policies must also be linked to the social inequities that Inuit currently suffer throughout most of their homeland.

“The cost-of-living is very high in our communities and the provision of heating, electricity, and almost every other necessity is dependent on carbon-intensive activities. These factors, combined with the reality that the majority of our households are low-income, prevent many of our families from investing in activities such as education, quality foods, and childcare that most Canadians take for granted,” the ITK statement said.

And in light of Canada’s acceptance of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ITK said Inuit must be fully involved in the design of climate change policies that affect Inuit Nunangat.

“In the future, Inuit must be included as equal partners in the federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) tables that are shaping Canada’s evolving climate strategy and its implementation,” ITK said.

ITK President Natan Obed, and other Indigenous leaders, were not allowed to attend a meeting of provincial and territorial environment ministers held Oct. 3, though Obed did attend a short breakfast session prior to that gathering.

“We’re a little bit tired of being on the sidelines,” Obed said in an interview on CBC’s Power and Politics show.

Trudeau said in the House of Commons Oct. 3 that he will convene a meeting with provincial and territorial leaders, and Indigenous leaders, on the creation of a pan-Canadian plan to respond to climate change.

The next UN conference on climate change, or COP22, is scheduled for Nov. 7 to Nov. 18 in Marrakech, Morocco.

ITK Climate Change Report by NunatsiaqNews on Scribd