Page 93 - EarthHeroes

In her ICC role, Sheila fought to ban the use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These chemicals are used in pesticides to protect crops and control diseases like malaria, but can also
cause serious health
problems. There is virtually
no use for them in the
Arctic, but in the 1980s
scientists discovered very
high levels of POPs in
marine mammals and in the
breast milk of Inuit women.
Warm air currents had carried
the chemicals to the Arctic, where
they built up in the fat of animals
which was then eaten by people. Over
five years, Sheila worked to raise awareness
of the human impacts of POPs and in 2001 helped secure an international agreement, called the Stockholm Convention, which banned their use.
In 2002, Sheila was elected International Chair of the ICC, a role in which she would fight her biggest battle yet: preserving her Inuit culture against climate change. The poles are warming faster than anywhere else on Earth. This is mainly due to the impact of ice loss on the albedo effect – the reflection of the sun’s heat back into space. White snow and ice reflect a lot of light and heat, but melting ice uncovers darker land or ocean beneath, which reflects less light, causing more heating. Most people know about the effects of global warming on the Arctic’s wildlife, but Sheila had seen its devastating impact on her peoples’ way of life.
Long before scientists were talking about climate change, Inuit elders
had noticed their environment was changing. They said the weather was uggianaqtug, meaning it behaves unexpectedly. Once reliable cloud patterns could no longer be used to predict the weather safely. Hunting had always been an essential part of Inuit life and culture, but this was now much more difficult and dangerous. Hunters were sometimes killed or injured after falling through previously stable sea ice. In the past, they had built igloos as shelters while away
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