Contributions and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples to the study of mercury in the Arctic

Concentrations and Yields of Mercury, Methylmercury, and Dissolved Organic Carbon From Contrasting Catchments in the Discontinuous Permafrost Region, Western Canada

“…Within the Interior Plains of boreal western Canada, extensive peatlands in the discontinuous permafrost zone (i.e., 10%-90% areal extent of perennially frozen ground) are increasingly warming, burning, and thawing due to climate change (Gibson et al, 2018(Gibson et al, , 2021Wright et al, 2022); complete permafrost loss is projected by 2050 (Chasmer & Hopkinson, 2017). Since MeHg biomagnifies and bioaccumulates in food webs, local increases in THg and MeHg concentrations may threaten the food security of northern Indigenous communities, while enhanced export of THg and MeHg may accumulate in downstream waterbodies and marine ecosystems (N. Basu et al, 2022;Houde et al, 2022;Moslemi-Aqdam et al, 2023).…”

Measuring Impact of Climate Change on Indigenous Health in the Background of Multiple Disadvantages: A Scoping Review for Equitable Public Health Policy Formulation

“…Hence, finally, twenty-nine publications remained eligible for inclusion. Out of these 29 articles, five articles were incorporating qualitative research (Bryson et al, 2021 ; Keatts et al, 2021 ; Kowalczewski & Klein, 2018 ; Rautela & Karki, 2015 ; Westoby et al, 2020 ), two articles incorporated Mixed Method Research (Chatwood et al, 2017 ; Durkalec et al, 2015 ); case studies, time series, community-based project and symposium report were one piece each(Amstislavski et al, 2013 ; Galway et al, 2022 ; Huber et al, 2020b ; Rahman & Alam, 2016 ); Seven review articles (1 systematic review, 2 Scoping Review, 4 narrative review) (Ellwanger et al, 2020 ; Galway et al, 2019 ; Jones et al, 2020 ; Lansbury Hall & Crosby, 2022 ; Lebel et al, 2022 ; Schramm et al, 2020 ; Standen et al, 2022 ); 6 commentaries (Hernandez et al, 2022 ; Leal Filho et al, 2021 ; Lewis et al, 2020 ; Redvers et al, 2022 ; Richards et al, 2019 ; Zavaleta-Cortijo et al, 2020 ); 4 perspectives (Callaghan et al, 2020 ; Houde et al, 2022 ; Redvers et al, 2020 ; Timler & Sandy, 2020 ) and 1 editorial was included in the final analysis. (Pollock & Cunsolo, 2019 ) We did not find any meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, cohort, or case–control studies.…”

“…At the same time, disruptions to food and nutrition security and the resulting health implications for Indigenous populations during pandemics exacerbate their vulnerability to climate change 10 Richards et al, ( 2019 ) The Climate Change and Health Adaptation Program: Indigenous Climate Leaders' Championing Adaptation Effort Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada Commentary First Nations Inuit Needs of climate change and health in First Nation and Inuit communities to support resiliency and adaptation to a changing climate both now and in the future through its emphasis on youth and capacity building Engaging youth and Elders to respectively learn and pass along Indigenous Knowledge from generation to generation strengthens communities’ resiliency and helps ensure that the projects and initiatives are sustainable as capacity within the community and amongst youth is built. Through both peer and professional training each project builds capacities in different areas, such as research and interview skills, technological skills, and skills on the land 11 Houde et al, ( 2022 ) Contributions and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples to the study of mercury in the Arctic Sci Total Environ Perspectives Arctic Indigenous Peoples Overview of the contributions of Indigenous Peoples to Hg monitoring in the Arctic, and discuss approaches that could be used, and improved upon, when carrying out these activities In recent years, Indigenous communities often have chosen to participate in, or initiate contaminant research projects because they were, or are, worried about the health of the ecosystem and the safety of their traditional country foods. During the early stages of contaminant research in the Arctic (i.e., starting in the late 1980s in Canada), the finding of high contaminant levels in the remote Arctic environment rattled researchers and led to fear-inducing communication and messages directed toward public 12 Hernandez et al, ( 2022 ) Prevent pandemics and halt climate change?…”

Weaving Indigenous and Western ways of knowing in ecotoxicology and wildlife health: a review of Canadian studies

“…Many Indigenous communities in Canada, specifically in the Arctic, rely on traditional food sources and thus can be at a greater risk of exposure to contaminants and parasites found within wildlife (e.g., Pellerin and Grondin 1998). Despite the ability of Indigenous Peoples to identify indicators of health and contamination in wildlife and water through sensorial information (e.g., taste, odour, visual evidence of disease, colour, and turbidity), coupling this knowledge with Western scientific tools like laboratory analysis can provide a more holistic understanding of these issues (Ostertag et al 2018;Houde et al 2022). For example, in a study conducted by Hopkins et al (2019) prioritizing the needs of Indigenous knowledge holders allowed for questions to be answered that Western science may not have considered alone, ultimately "creating new learnings together" (Hopkins et al 2019).…”

“…In this way, weaving knowledge systems challenges the status quo by going beyond "integrating", "combining", or "incorporating" knowledge systems (McGregor 2008;Buell et al 2020;Reid et al 2020;Henri et al 2021), and instead respects what each worldview can contribute to create reciprocal research (Bartlett 2011;Wright et al 2019). Collaborating with and empowering Indigenous knowledge holders in research can increase the thoroughness of the research process and expands our knowledge of the natural world, which, in turn, has the potential to positively influence policy development and decision making (Alexander et al 2019b;Martin 2012;Johnson et al 2016;Ban et al 2018;Hopkins et al 2019;Popp et al 2020;Houde et al 2022). Indigenous ways of knowing often illuminate complex interconnections and synergies, whereas Western sciences can be useful when trying to isolate mechanisms and processes.…”