The speakers

Sheila Watt-Cloutier

Native activist and 2007 Nobel Peace prize nominee

A Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Sheila Watt-Cloutier is a powerful voice for the environment, and a guardian for Inuit human rights in the Arctic—the new ground zero of global climate change. "We're already living this reality,” Watt-Cloutier says of warming in the north. “It's not a theory in the future, it's right now in the present."

An Officer of the Order of Canada, Sheila Watt-Cloutier is an advocate for climate change initiatives, and is influential among development groups and policy leaders around the world. Based in Nunavut, she is a political spokesperson for the Inuit, who feel the fall-out from climate change more immediately and dramatically than most. Their entire way of life is at stake. And, as she says, “We're the early warning system for the rest of the world.”

From 1998 to 2006, Watt-Cloutier was the International Chair of the ICC (the Inuit Circumpolar Council), which represents the more than 150,000 Inuit of Canada, The United States, Greenland, and Russia. Her negotiations in this role led to a global treaty banning POPs (persistent organic pollutants), which contaminate the arctic food chain. For this historic signing, she was awarded the inaugural Global Environmental Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations. In addition to her environmental work, she was the Corporate Secretary of Makivik Corporation, which looked after the funds from the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Land Claims Agreement.

Sheila Watt-Cloutier is a recipient of a UN Lifetime Achievement Award for Human Development, and a UN Champion of the Earth Award. She has also been honoured with the Global Green USA Award for International Environmental Leadership; a Citation for Lifetime Achievement by the Canadian Environment Awards; the inaugural Northern Medal, given by the Governor General of Canada; and an Aboriginal Achievement Award for Environment. She has also won the Sophie Prize (whose past winners include Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai) and the Rachel Carson Prize. In 2007, Watt-Cloutier was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with global climate change in the north.

What Does Sheila Watt-Cloutier Talk About?

Sheila Watt-Cloutier is one of the worlds most requested—and respected—speakers on the devastating effects of climate change, and what can and must be done to stop it. Global warming is felt most acutely in the north, where the traditional way of life is under serious risk. The damage caused by rising temperatures—crumbling infrastructure, shorter hunting seasons— is evident all around, wrecking havoc for both humans and animals. In this talk, Watt-Cloutier, a commanding, dignified speaker, shows audiences why this doesn't have to be, and how to ensure that the north, and all countries, enjoy a prosperous future.

Drawing on her formidable international experience, she discusses the true impact of greenhouse gas emissions and other toxins, and the changing nature of political action, citizen advocacy and corporate and government responsibility. “I do nothing more than remind the world that the Arctic is not a barren land devoid of life but a rich and majestic land that has supported our resilient culture for millennia,” she says. “Even though small in number and living far from the corridors of power, it appears that the wisdom of the land strikes a universal chord on a planet where many are searching for sustainability."Causes :

Les militantes au Canada : http://www.lac-bac.gc.ca/femmes/002026-310-f.html

Our Planet : http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/124/french/watt.html