President of the Inuit people talks about climate change in the Arctic

"My message is that climate change is not abstract; it is about people's lives" she commented.

The contamination of food sources, the breaking up of Inuit houses as the Arctic permafrost melts, the disruption of the traditional rhythms of Inuit life - these are some of the ways that climate change is affecting the community, she said.

Mary Simon had come to UCL for a public discussion with Ernest Massiah, Head of Health of the Commonwealth Secretariat about the Inuit agenda for saving the Arctic.

The occasion was a event organised by Beacon Fellow Professor David Napier (UCL Medical Anthropology), run by UCL Medical Anthropology and hosted at the British Museum - a highlight of an ongoing public series called 'Making Things Better', which is exploring issues to do with migration and wellbeing, covering issues as diverse as human trafficking and religion.

Dr Rodney Reynolds (UCL Medical Anthropology) is co-organiser of 'Making Things Better'. He said: "The Making Things Better talks intend to think about health and wellbeing in a broad-based and creative way and to capture the perspective of people's everyday lives.  We hope to understand how living with various health circumstances create unexpected impacts and to suggest what we as global citizens can do to lesson those and improve people's lives."

Watch the video to hear Mary Simon's account of climate change on Inuit life.

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UCL Medical Anthropology

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UCL Beacons for Public Engagement

UCL focus on climate change