14 DAY TRIAL // Climate change and global warming are really messing up our planet, and odds are that, when it comes to human communities, those in the Arctic will be among the ones hit the hardest by these two phenomena.
Although they might not manage to help these people, researchers with the Indiana University, the Montana State University, and the University of Greenland are to at least try and better understand the impact of climate change and global warming on these folks.
Click Green tells us that this research project is to last for three years, and that the costs associated with carrying it out amount to $1.5 million (roughly €1.08 million).
The study is to be spearheaded by specialists Virginia Vitzthum with the Indiana University and Elizabeth Rink with Montana State University, the same source tells us, and it will focus on how changes in environmental conditions, demographic shifts and global economy are affecting these communities.
“Ice is literally melting beneath their feet. There are more accidents, and the shifts in hunting and fishing seasons make it more difficult to earn a living,” specialist Virginia Vitzthum explains.
“There's a changing sense of connection to the land; it's critical to learn what's happening there and how it affects residents and the survival of their community,” the researcher adds.
What's interesting is that, according to Virginia Vitzthum, this research project is to try and answer questions concerning how changes in environmental conditions in this part of the world might alter human hormones, and if they could up cancer risk, affect the immune system, or influence fertility.