ILLUQ - Permafrost, Pollution, Health in Arctic coastal regions

Climate change is one of the most significant global challenges of our time, with far-reaching impacts on human and environmental health. Permafrost underlies 22% of the Northern Hemisphere's exposed land surface and is thawing at an alarming rate as a direct consequence of climate change . Permafrost thaw releases large quantities of organic matter and contaminants into the coastal zone. In fact, permafrost soils store nearly twice as much mercury as all other soils, the ocean, and the atmosphere combined, and this mercury is vulnerable to release as permafrost thaws over the next century. Contaminants, including heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and microbiological agents locked in permafrost, are a risk for both human and animal health . In addition, permafrost thaw dramatically impacts infrastructure in local communities with wide-ranging consequences for health, economy, and society . Yet the social, physical and health components of permafrost thaw have traditionally been studied in isolation, leading to inadequate policy options that ignore the holistic nature of the threat. For instance, contaminant release directly affects wildlife, which itself is harvested for food. Infrastructure failure directly threatens water and sanitation in communities, drastically impacting health and wellbeing. There is a need for an integrated and participatory approach to the complex issues at the overlap between climate change, permafrost thaw, infrastructure damage, contaminants, health and well-being and for solutions founded on the cultural, natural and social frameworks of local communities.
ILLUQ is an interdisciplinary project rooted in participatory research with local stake- and rightsholders. Its mission is to provide a holistic approach to permafrost thaw, pollution, One Health and well-being in the coastal Arctic and delivering timely products on the threats from contaminant release, infrastructure failure and ecosystem changes to stakeholders. ILLUQ’s endeavor is a direct answer to the pressing needs of communities located on coastal permafrost. It targets the missing link between studies performed by scientists, engineers and consultants in local communities and solutions with local stake- and rightsholders focusing on the long-term implications of decision-making in the context of permafrost thaw, a time frame generally overlooked in existing governance frameworks. ILLUQ focuses on three main areas in the Arctic: Svalbard, West Greenland and the Mackenzie Delta area. In this presentation, we introduce the main activities of the project  and show how it builds on the many ouputs from the previous NUNATARYUK project on coastal permafrost conducted between 2017 and 2023.