Photo: Art as a means to express urgency of climate change

A hunter waits at a manhole with a harpoon: one of several pieces of Inuit art on display now at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. This work — “Manhole Hunter” by Pangnirtung’s Jesse Tungilik — and others are part of an exhibit called “Linked,” which opened in Monaco to coincide with the United Nations’ 21st Conference of the Parties, or COP 21, global climate change talks currently underway in Paris. “Linked,” which includes several Inuit works, focuses on “the interdependence of different cultures and the urgency to reach a universal and binding agreement permitting effective action against climate change,” says a recent news release from the Monaco museum. COP 21 talks are set to conclude Dec. 11. Participants expect to complete an agreement to limit global greenhouse gas emissions and Indigenous leaders are hoping that agreement includes protection of Indigenous rights. (PHOTO COURTESY OCEANOGRAPHIC MUSEUM OF MONACO)