Inuit support marine shipping decisions in Arctic waters 

London UK, March 22, 2024- Inuit support the designation of an Emission Control Area in Canadian Arctic waters, supporting global shipping community approval. 

Inuit are participating with the global shipping community gathered for its 81st session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) this week in London. Its agenda included tackling Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, approving an underwater radiated noise reduction Action Plan, and consequently for Canadian Inuit, an Emission Control Area (ECA) in the Canadian Arctic waters and Inuit Nunangat. 

“All other ocean areas in Canada below 60 degrees have been protected by an Emission Control Area since 2013. We welcome this initiative by Canada to provide equal protections for our Inuit homeland”, said Lisa Qiluqqi Koperqualuk, ICC Vice Chair and at the helm of the ICC delegation at the IMO. “Black Carbon emissions from shipping, in the IMO-defined Arctic waters alone, have doubled between 2015 to 2021. Canada should be complimented for their efforts to reverse course on this trend and begin to bring emissions down by establishing an ECA in the Canadian Arctic.” 

Black Carbon is a soot-like particle released in a ship’s exhaust. These emissions cause cumulative impacts over time, which have been linked to negative health outcomes including respiratory and heart diseases, cancer, and birth defects. It also contributes significantly to local warming and accelerates ice and snow melt, which in turn exacerbates climate change and contributes to habitat and biodiversity loss. This directly impacts Inuit food security and cultural sustainability. 

Alongside the ECA proposal, ICC stressed the need to have an accompanying just and equitable transition framework in place to ensure economic hardship does not occur, which would impact Inuit communities who did not cause the climate crisis but are being the most impacted. Canada’s collaboration with Inuit in developing a cost mitigation work plan for the ECA allowed Inuit Treaty Organizations to support the proposal. The potential to prevent negative economic impacts on Inuit communities by a switch to cleaner marine fuels as a consequence of the ECA was a key element for Inuit. 

Inuit have prioritized engagement at the IMO because shipping is significant to economic sustainability, and pollution harms ocean health and the cumulative impacts on Arctic marine ecosystems, which Inuit, our language, culture, and entire way of life is an inextricable part of that ecosystem. The ICC delegation this week included representatives from Inuit in Greenland, Canada, and Alaska, along with members of the Heiltsuk Tribal Council, a First Nation Indigenous Peoples from British Columbia, Canada. Vice Chair Koperqualuk emphasized, “ICC was very pleased that our delegation included Inuit from the different regions of Inuit Nunaat, and the Heiltsuk Nation who came with a strong message and to engage with international decision makers on our shared concerns.” 

In a presentation, the Heiltsuk Tribal Council spoke to the need for the inclusion of Indigenous cultural heritage in all aspects of the IMO’s work and regulations. Heiltsuk Tribal Council Chief Marilyn Slett stated, “We are calling on all IMO states to begin a process to ensure international laws provide redress for cultural impacts to Indigenous peoples from marine spills and shipping activities… We have traveled to London to ensure Canada and all nations take seriously their commitments to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and show leadership by sitting down with us to recognize Heiltsuk’s cultural losses from a devastating marine shipping spill in our territory.” 

ICC Chair Sara Olsvig stated, “We share the same deep concerns with the Heiltsuk Nation and spoke as one voice at the IMO. As we strategically work to ensure permanent status at the IMO in 2025, the goal is to see multiple Indigenous Peoples attending and participating in IMO decisions,” she continued, “this will empower all Indigenous Peoples to contribute their invaluable perspectives and insights towards the decision-making process and holistic marine governance. 

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