Global Voices Season 5 Episode 5 Last Days of the Arctic

Global Voices season 5 episode 5 - Last Days of the Arctic beautifully captures the harsh realities of the rapidly changing Arctic climate and its impact on the native Inuit community. This episode follows a young Inuit girl named Apay who takes the viewers on a journey through her homeland and its natural wonders, all of which are rapidly disappearing due to global warming.

The episode starts with a series of aerial shots of the melting Arctic ice pack and its impact on the surrounding ecosystem. We see polar bears and walruses struggling to find food as the ice they rely on for hunting rapidly disappears. The episode then shifts to Apay's village where she introduces us to her family and their traditional way of life. We see how the Inuit community relies on hunting and fishing to survive in this harsh environment. However, due to the changing climate, their way of life is becoming increasingly difficult.

Throughout the episode, we see how the melting permafrost is causing the landscape to shift and crumble. The once-frozen ground is turning into marshy swamp, and the rising sea levels are causing large areas of land to erode away. Apay and her community are keenly aware of these changes, and they are doing everything they can to adapt. We see how Apay's family and their neighbors are using their traditional knowledge to create new hunting and fishing strategies to account for the changing landscape.

The episode then takes us on a boat trip with Apay's uncle, who is a seasoned hunter. He takes us along as he sets up his nets and hooks to catch fish in the open water. We see how he has had to adapt his fishing techniques due to the changing currents and how he must go out to sea further than before to find enough fish to feed his family. The camera work in this section is breathtaking, showcasing the vast and beautiful Arctic landscape.

Towards the end of the episode, we see how Apay and her community are using their voice to inspire change. They are speaking out about the impact of climate change on their way of life and are urging global leaders to take action. We see them at a United Nations conference, where they make an emotional plea for the world to wake up to the damage being done to the Arctic.

Overall, Last Days of the Arctic is a beautifully shot episode that offers a window into the lives of the indigenous Inuit people and their struggle to adapt to a changing world. The episode is deeply moving and reminds us of the importance of finding solutions to climate change and preserving our planet's unique biodiversity.