Blog Post #4- Climate Change, a Human Rights Issue

Blog #4 by Cole Stoecklein:

The future of this planet is in peril, but our culture is too shortsighted to even notice. Climate change has had an increasing presence at the forefront of discussions pertaining to global issues. However, the idea of climate change has been viewed as an environmental issue with economical consequences, but it is about time that people view it as a human issue. If it isn’t viewed in this light, the destructive reality of human induced climate change will continue to be ignored by a world dominated by governments more interested in current economic gain rather than the future sustainability of our earth.

This, in essence, is exactly what Sheila Watt-Cloutier brings to the table in her enlightening piece “The Inuit Right To Culture Based On Ice and Snow”. Watt-Cloutier, a member of the Inuit tribe, has experienced the consequences of climate change first hand. The Inuit people reside in the northern regions of the US, in Canada, Greenland, and Russia. Their lives are directly dependent on ice and snow, for ice and snow are the highways for their sled dogs, and glaciers are the source of the streams which contribute to the ecosystem in which the Inuit people are able to hunt and cultivate to support their families. Climate change, over the past few decades, has been tumultuous for the Inuit people as a society; in fact, the Inuit people have the leading suicide rate in Northern America (Watt-Cloutier 25).

Watt-Cloutier identifies the devastating of her tribe’s current state in order to emphasize her main point: Climate change is not just an environmental issue; it is a human rights issue. She points to the shortsighted views of governments as the main issue, for it is easy to ignore the fact that tribes like the Inuit are literally being killed off by the pollution coming from big cities around the world. Watt-Cloutier implores people to stop viewing climate change as an environmental issue, and to think of the humans who are being deprived of their livelihood because of a world choosing to ignore the consequences of their lifestyle. 

"So you see, climate change isn't just an environmental issue with unwelcome economic consequences. It really is a matter of livelihood, food, individual, and cultural survival."  -Shiela-Cloutier 

With Watt-Cloutier’s arguments in mind it is impossible to ignore the fact that we have a moral obligation to protect the future of this planet by implementing a more sustainable lifestyle. There are societies of actual people whose lives depend on it. In Egypt, for instance, there are people experiencing these same human issues. Cairo, Egypt is one of the most heavily polluted cities in Northern Africa. Due to this pollution, the Nile River has been becoming less and less clean, which has a ripple effect of negative consequences throughout that region. There are millions of people throughout not only Egypt, but the African region that are dependent on the Nile for transportation, fertile soil, fishing, and most importantly drinking water. 

There are organizations like 350.org that are set up in Egypt to attack this problem. 350 Egypt, for instance, is currently making a big push to identify better transportation alternatives within Egypt. The streets of Cairo are always bustling with large numbers of vehicles, none being eco-friendly. The pollution is visually evident on the majority of days in Egypt, and 350 Egypt is setting out to end this. Savethewater.org is another organization dedicated to preserving the Nile River. The Egyptian Organization of Human Rights called water pollution “a ticking time bomb threatening the life of the Egyptians” (Savethewater.org). There are several organizations in place vigilantly fighting this environmental issue, and they have the essential viewpoint that the pollution of the Nile doesn’t just have economic consequences, but could be the cause of human lives being lost.

There are other various groups like Greenpeace, for instance, that are in Egypt trying to shed light on the urgency that is needed to prevent the negative effects of climate change. Greenpeace has had a strong hold in Egypt, and has been fighting to implement effective, eco friendly energy sources within Egypt. Finally, the environmental group “GreenArm” has been very present within Egypt. They have made a big push in the city of Cairo to encourage people to use bicycles for transportation to cut down on vehicle emissions. They are heading what some people are calling the “Cycling-revival movement” in Cairo, which could play a crucial part in ridding Egypt of a lot of unnecessary car pollution (Greearm.com).

In the end, Climate change is much more than an environmental issue, for there is more than just economic loss at hand; there are lives at stake. Urgency is needed among global leaders to prevent cultures like the Inuit tribe being killed off, and it’s encouraging to see organizations like Greenpeace, Greenarm, save the water, and 350 Egypt making significant strives around the world to stunt the growth of the climate control issue. Now what can I do to contribute?

Sources:
Greenarm.com
savethewater.org
350.org
Sheila Watt-Coultier, "The Inuit Right to Culture Based on Ice and Snow"
https://www.facebook.com/350Egypt