Arctic Community Energy Planning And Implementation Toolkit
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Issue Date
2019-05
Authors
Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG)
Subject
Abstract
Gwich’in saw the promise in the Arctic Council, when we applied for Permanent Participant status in 2002. As the most most northerly First Nation in Canada, our communities are at the forefront of a changing climate. We also saw the value of working across boundaries as our nation spans across artificial political borders, extending through the entire range of the Porcupine Caribou herd, from Alaska through Yukon and into the Northwest Territories. As we looked towards implementing our constitutional agreements of land claims and self-government and the decision-making responsibilities for the management of lands, waters, and wildlife, we knew we needed to be connected to the best science to augment the Indigenous Knowledge of our people to make these critical decisions. The Arctic Council provided this opportunity through its working groups and facilitated Gwich’in speaking directly on the international stage to the issues of vital importance to us.