‘Poverty porn,’ Obama & Inuit health: Arctic week in review
On this week’s news round-up, we bring you some of your most read stories on Eye on the Arctic this week.
– In #SavetheArctic…from Greenpeace Northern expert and Eye on the Arctic blogger Heather Exner-Pirot looks at Greenpeace’s Arctic campaign, arguing its ‘poverty porn’ approach to the issue isn’t just ineffective, but may also be diverting resources and attention away from the real challenges facing the region.
-With the United States only a few months away from assuming chairmanship of the Arctic Council from Canada, President Barack Obama issues an executive order calling for better coordination of Arctic policy. But Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski says the order focuses too much on climate change at the expense of development and indigenous issues.
– And in science news, a recent study identifies a gene in the Canadian Inuit population that makes it difficult for the body to digest sugar.
Also big news this week: The Arctic Frontiers conference took place in Tromso, Norway. The conference attracted everyone form scientists and business leaders to circumpolar heads of state.
In this week’s Friday Feature Interview, we talk to Irene Quaile, a journalist specializing in climate and environment who covered the conference for Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
She’s also the author of Deutsche Welle’s Ice-Blog which frequently appears on Eye on the Arctic.
This week, I spoke with Quaile about the conference and what it can tell us about the Arctic business and climate challenges to come:
That’s all the news from us this week. We’ll be back on Monday with more stories and newsmakers from across the North!
Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
