Inuit urge countries to advance climate action at COP30

An international Inuit organization is calling for urgent action and the upholding of Indigenous rights in negotiations as the 2025 United Nations climate summit continues in Belém, Brazil.

The Inuit Circumpolar Council, or ICC, released a position paper at the start of the COP30 conference on Monday. (COP30 stands for the 30th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.)

The paper highlights climate change impacts on Inuit homelands and five action items Inuit leaders plan to advance at the conference.

“We are at COP30 because we must continue to advocate for the safety and survival of our people in the midst of the climate crisis, and for the rights and futures of generations to come, not least our self-determination,” ICC chair Sara Olsvig stated in a news release.

The ICC noted that 2024 was the first year in which the global average temperature exceeded 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures and the Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the rest of the world.

As an example of how climate change is impacting Inuit, the organization pointed to recent flooding in Alaska due to Typhoon Halong, which it said affected at least 15 Indigenous coastal communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwin Delta.

“The human safety and rights of Inuit are directly and adversely affected by extreme weather events and changes to our climate, environment, and thereby our livelihoods and communities. We are facing a planetary crisis, and Inuit are at the forefront,” stated ICC vice chair Herb Nakimayak, a former NWT MLA.

ICC is calling on countries to “maintain persistent and stable climate policies and actions” while upholding Indigenous rights and enhancing the capacity of Indigenous Peoples to respond to climate change.

“Climate action – prevention, mitigation, and adaptation – must draw on Indigenous knowledge and the leadership of Indigenous Peoples,” Olsvig stated.

“Strategies to address climate change – from energy transition, to carbon markets, to geoengineering – must uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination, and must secure the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples.”

Recommendations in ICC’s position paper include substantial funding for Indigenous peoples to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts, direct participation of Inuit experts in research, and ensuring Inuit do not bear the cost of transitioning to greener fuel or energy sources.

More than 150 countries signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992, an international treaty that committed countries to work together to combat climate change.

Countries have since met regularly at conferences to review progress on climate agreements and negotiate new measures.

COP30 continues until November 21.