My time in Tuktoyaktuk

Supporting Indigenous-led contaminant research in the Canadian Arctic 

May 19, 2024
Sunday 4–6pm
Tickets £5 on Eventbrite or at the door. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/my-time-in-tuktoyaktuk-a-talk-by-louise-mercer-tickets-896237188557

Unit Four: The Cornucopia Room, 4 Towerdykeside, Hawick TD9 9EA

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Coming up at Cornucopia’s bookshop and arts venue in the Scottish Borders – an illustrated talk by Louise Mercer

Louise Mercer studied at Hawick High School, has a BSc (Hons) in Ecological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and a Professional Masters in Environmental Science from the University of Utah. Louise is now a PhD student at Northumbria University and a Research Fellow with the International Arctic Science Committee. Currently, her research centres on collaborative partnerships and two-way knowledge exchange with Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the Arctic.

This talk will raise awareness of the rapidly changing Arctic environment and present a case study of how an Indigenous community is contributing to adaptation and resiliency efforts through self-determined research. The Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the rest of the world. Associated cimate-driven landscape change, legacy waste and ongoing infrastructural investment are leading to concerns around water quality, habitat degradation and contaminant release in Arctic communities. The threats posed by accelerating environmental change requires immediate and longer-term key strategic decision-making. This has been hindered by mismatches in priorities and timelines between communities and research programs that collect baseline data feeding into decision-making processes. These challenges highlight the importance of advancing collaborative partnerships and two-way knowledge exchange with Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the Arctic.