The Right to Be Cold
One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic and the Whole Planet
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4.2 • 6 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
SHORTLISTED FOR CANADA READS 2017
The Right to Be Cold is a human story of resilience, commitment, and survival told from the unique vantage point of an Inuk woman who, in spite of many obstacles, rose from humble beginnings in the Arctic community of Kuujjuaq, Quebec—where she was raised by a single parent and grandmother and travelled by dog team in a traditional, ice-based Inuit hunting culture—to become one of the most influential and decorated environmental, cultural, and human rights advocates in the world.
The Right to Be Cold explores the parallels between safeguarding the Arctic and the survival of Inuit culture—and ultimately the world—in the face of past, present, and future environmental degradation. Sheila Watt-Cloutier passionately argues that climate change is a human rights issue and one to which all of us on the planet are inextricably linked. The Right to Be Cold is the culmination of Watt-Cloutier’s regional, national, and international work over the last twenty-five years, weaving historical traumas and current issues such as climate change, leadership, and sustainability in the Arctic into her personal story to give a coherent and holistic voice to an important subject.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Climate change causes politicians to dither, extraction industries to deny, and the public to shrug. Meanwhile, writes author and human rights advocate Watt-Cloutier (a nominee for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize), the Inuit are watching their way of life melt away, and the fate of the Arctic concerns the whole world. The right to a healthy environment and a safe climate which includes "the right to be cold" is fundamental to humanity's future. Losing the Arctic, Watt-Cloutier warns, also means losing the wisdom required for us to live on the planet in a sustainable way. Her book is part autobiography and part manifesto; she details how her Inuit upbringing taught her that environmental preservation and human rights go hand in hand. Inuit culture emphasizes sustainably harvested food, community bonds, and a recognition that humans are connected to the land. These teachings influenced Watt-Cloutier's efforts to lobby the United Nations Climate Change Conventions to redefine human rights, as well as her work with the Inuit Circumpolar Council, through which she fought to reduce industrial toxins in the Arctic. She discusses these issues and more in a passionate, engaging story that everyone who has a stake in Earth's future should read.
