Climate change can create food shortages. When you hear this, does your mind turn to Africa, China, and other far away places? Climate change can also affect people’s food security right here in B.C.
First Nations people have practiced subsistence hunting and gathering for a millennia. Subsistence is more than the basic necessities: it’s a way of life. Subsistence goods like cedar trees are not only important as cultural icons, but also as part of the exchange relationships at the core of many First Nations. These goods include hunted animals, which are not just important culturally and socially. In many remote communities the monetary value of subsistence harvests can be up to one-third of people’s incomes.
A decline in animals central to subsistence practices has pushed people into poverty throughout the Arctic, forcing them to abandon their traditional lands and seek work in cities, which fractures small communities and exacerbates urban unemployment.
As climate change becomes more pronounced, subsistence practices here in B.C. will likely become threatened. One prime example is sockeye salmon, which some prominent fish biologists expect to disappear from the Fraser River and all its tributaries within two decades. Sockeye salmon are considered “keystones” to many First Nations cultures, because of their importance to many aspects of life like ceremonies, trade and diet.
When you hear “climate change,” don’t just think “environmental problems.” Think “people problems,” especially for those most in need.
