The term “climate change” is far from unfamiliar. We’ve all heard about it; unfortunately, most ignore and scoff at the idea. Surely it must be fake news, right? Wrong. The fact is, yes, climate change can be considered a natural process under the definition of “long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.” However, due to human influence, our influence, the rate at which this occurs has increased by a considerable amount. The effects of climate change are dire for not only human life but all other forms of life we share the planet with. As we are largely responsible for such a mess, it is only logical that we work to counteract, or at the very least, manage the crisis sustainably.
As a member of the NWT Métis Nation, I have been fortunate enough to grow up in Fort Smith, where youth are taught to foster a certain appreciation for the traditions and connections to the land that have existed among our people since time immemorial. The path we walk is one laid by our ancestors, and their duty of protecting and preserving the land falls on our shoulders. As such, the failure on the part of Indigenous governments to recognize and accept that climate change is a credible threat to our ways of life in the Northwest Territories is disheartening to not only myself but also my fellow youth who desire a future that is protected by those with the power in the present.
The north stands on a precipice as it is, locked in a standstill which remains for as long as we are content with inaction. The NWT warms at a rate four times the global rate, a truly terrifying prospect. The increased risk of natural disasters such as flooding, wildfires and drought are all consequences of the cause: climate change. Choosing to maintain this willful ignorance will only force us over the edge and past a point we cannot return from. We must take action before this occurs and I cannot stress that fact enough. The way forward from here is not something I view as easily attainable with the current apathy towards the climate crisis, this must change. I can only hope that our leaders make the best decisions as we work towards Setting the Stage for NWTMN Indigenous Leadership in Climate Change and continue to maintain the land to ensure it stands as it does today for future generations to take pride in. A home with land sacred to our history that affirms our identities as Indigenous Métis to the South Slave region.
– Claire Lehmann, Fort Smith
