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Inuit falling through the ice - 6th December 2023
The ice in Greenland is melting into water. Twelve percent of the Earth’s freshwater is in this ice.
The temperature in the Arctic is going up very fast. Greenland’s melting ice will add 7 metres to sea levels around the world.
It’s a problem for local Inuit people too. Soon, they won’t have any drinking water.
Erling Rasmussen: “But it's melting so maybe in a few years it's gone. It can be a problem. So I think in the future the city will have to get it's drinking water from the ocean.”
Ittoqqortoormiit’s a village with 300 people. The villagers need cold winters, ice and snow for food and water. Boats can only bring food to Ittoqqortoormiit for one month of the year.
The villagers catch their food – narwhals, polar bears and fish. But now, the sea ice isn’t very thick. This is dangerous. People are falling through the ice.
Polar bears can’t live on thin ice. They’re going near villages to look for food.
Scientists are worried. Now, there’s no ice in the summer. It’s a serious situation. They want people to understand the dangers.
Local teacher Pusle Jørgen Danielsen is worried too. Children will lose their traditions.
Pusle Jørgen Danielsen: "I hope the children can understand that the whole world has changed, everything has changed. Many years ago there was always ice in the summer, all the time. Now it’s disappearing much faster."
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