Inuits May Sue Over Climate Change

During the international climate change conference in Buenos Aires in December 2004, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), representing the 155,000 Inuit, or Eskimo, peoples, announced plans to demand a ruling from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that by contributing to global climate change, the U.S. is threatening Inuit culture and therefore violating the Inuits’ human rights. The ruling could lead to a lawsuit against either individual American companies or, in international court, the U.S. as a country. “We’re an adaptable people, but adaptability has its limits,” said Sheila Watt-Cloutier, head of the ICC. The ICC is online at www.inuitcircumpolar.com.