Paper short abstract:

“Nunataryuk” is a multi-disciplinary research consortium examining permafrost thaw in Arctic coastal areas. This paper presents outcomes from fieldwork conducted in four study sites: Northwestern Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia, including narrative research of “sustainability stories”.

Paper long abstract:

“Nunataryuk” is a multi-disciplinary research consortium (2017 – 2023, H2020), examining permafrost thaw (PFT) in Arctic coastal areas. This paper presents outcomes from fieldwork conducted in four study sites: Northwestern Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. First, a risk analysis framework as well as geo-physical & socio-cultural impacts. Second, the results of a quantitative survey on the perceived impacts of PFT on subsistence and livelihood. Third, results from an interdisciplinary sub-project ‘Climate Stories of the Past’, which is based on oral history interviews with Inuit and First Nation Elders, written records and ecological stories (tree-rings, sediment cores) in the Beaufort Sea region in Canada. Finally, this paper presents narrative/ethnographic futures research in the same region, asking what kind of "environment stories" lead to better adaptation, equitable mitigation and more sustainable lifeways – while recognizing the complexity and multi-interpretability of sustainability, mitigation and adaptation. The way people understand their environments influences how they practice adaptation, what they understand as risk, who they see as responsible for acting and what policy options are seen as viable. Narrative research understands society and nature as interlinked and holds the promise to improve adaptation and mitigation strategies. The study thus seeks to answer the following questions: How is the environment ‘storied’ in coastal communities? How are these narratives linked to adaptation and mitigation? We argue that in combination, narrative and ethnographic futures research is particularly suitable for co-developing adaption strategies through scenario-building and defining Arctic sustainability indicators in relation to PFT.