IQALUIT, NUNAVUT—An Inuit land-claim group is asking the federal government to permanently protect large sections of the Eastern Arctic from any industrial development. It comes in the final year of a five-year moratorium on Arctic offshore energy development, which is to be reconsidered in 2020. It also wants governments to look at alternative ways, such as fisheries and tourism, to develop the area’s economy. Inuit communities still rely heavily on hunting to keep food on their tables, and studies suggest that 70 per cent of Nunavut Inuit remain food insecure. The report cites the experience of Inuit hunters who say that development and shipping traffic would displace important food animals and upset the food web.

Source: thestar May 12, 2019 14:48 UTC