Coastal Change Around Greenland: Creating Space for Indigenous Communities to Lead in Climate Resilience

Abstract:

Climate resilience begins with community resilience. Coastal communities are the epicenter of climate change impact, yet too often the voices and engagement of local stakeholders is overlooked. Nowhere is this more evident than in work in indigenous communities where historically external scientists have taken the lead on research that is done without the engagement of the local community or focus on local concerns and impacts, and have failed to communicate the results.

The Greenland Rising project, funded through NSF’s Navigating the New Arctic, is a collaboration between the U.S. (Columbia University) and Greenland (Greenland Institute of Natural Resources) focused on the co-production of scientific targets for understanding sea level change along the Greenland coast. Effective community resilience requires community investment that transfers science and communication opportunities and resources to local partners to be the project voice. To establish priority coastal mapping targets community meetings were held with municipal and industry leaders, hunters, fishers and community residents. Led and organized by the Greenlandic partners these were held in the native language between individuals that grew up in a culture of hunting and understood the goals and needs of the community members. Trust, personal networks, common language and understanding were a large part of the success of the meetings to gather input on mutually beneficial coastal targets to help identify and quantify changes in existing port access, susceptible built infrastructure, fisheries habitat and hunting grounds. The local engagement and discussions with the scientists have redesigned the survey plans accordingly and focused the scientific efforts in the regions.

We also invested in an educational initiative to fit the interests and needs of students, schools and communities in Greenland. Together we reviewed curriculum for content that would be in the native language, meaningful, and fit long-term education initiatives. Greenland project partners met with schools to present new materials designed to strengthen their science, share education opportunities and provide local role models and career pathways. The first content centered on new tide gauges installed during community visits, with curriculum and field worksheets.