My Time in Tuktoyaktuk: a talk by Louise Mercer

Event Name

Event Date 2014-05-19

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 climate-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.

Tickets £5 on Eventbrite or at the door.