An assessment of the vulnerability of Tuktoyaktuk to environmental and socio-economic changes

• Main Author: Andrachuk, Mark
• Other Authors: Smit, Barry
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Guelph 2008
• Subjects: Tuktoyaktuk; Inuvialuit community; Climate change; Vulnerability; Food security; Inuvialuit; permafrost
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10214/19757

This thesis assessed the ways that the Inuvialuit community of Tuktoyaktuk is vulnerable to climate change in the context of ongoing socio-economic and environmental changes. Stresses to livelihoods are occurring due to changes in demand for sport hunting and tourism, health issues, and limited availability of employment opportunities. Aspects of food security are stressed due to changes in the abundance and distribution of wildlife, the amount of time that Tuktoyaktuk residents spend harvesting, and the high cost of store-bought foods. Infrastructure is also at risk due to coastal erosion, flooding, and permafrost degradation. Existing adaptations have not taken the form of planned actions in response to specific changes in climate. In light of projected intensification of climate change and a proposed natural gas pipeline in the Tuktoyaktuk area, the community will experience new stresses and changes in adaptive capacity in the future.