Balancing Nature and Culture in Northern Environmental Engineering

For an Environmental Engineer, it is really crucial to understand the jurisdiction that one will be working in. Not just is extensive understanding of the natural qualities such as geological and meteorological aspects of the jurisdiction to scientifically cater to the special ecological issues of a certain area, however it is also essential that one also understanding of the social and judicial aspects of the jurisdiction for simpler cooperation with the people and more efficient applications of ecological impact assessments and mitigations or development of ecological policy and regulation, for instance.

The Northwest Territories and Nunavut are special in numerous aspects that issue Environmental Engineering practice. In basic, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are already tailored towards environmental security, conservation, and regulation. For instance, in the Northwest Territories, programs are already in location to make sure sustainability of forest use, guideline of wildlife security and usage, etc

. In Nunavut, their Department of Environment actively apply what they call Avatittinnik Kamatsiarniq, or ecological stewardship, to save their huge natural deposits and promote sustainability, a concept that is based on the Inuit culture and should be appreciated by any Environmental Engineer who prepares to practice in that territory.

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In truth, one must have good understanding of that culture as the Inuit population of Nunavut comprise most of the group and thus their culture and belief system have a great impact on governmental policies, thinking about that the self-governing system of the Inuit is unique to Nunavut and concerns such as land claims are a constant concern.

Similarly, the companies of the Northwest areas also make use of the traditional knowledge of the Inuit concerning the natural resources and the relationship in between male and environment.

As North American Indians comprise the majority of the population in the Northwest Territories, they appreciate the value of this knowledge and these are taken into consideration in the making of public policies which include environmental engineering law. To work in the Northwest Territories, one must be aware of programs such as the NWT Protected Areas Strategy, that utilizes a community-based process as it makes sure to respect Aboriginal rights to balance conservation and economic development.

The programs already in place and the social set-up of the jurisdiction are only part of the concerns of an Environment Engineer, of course the physical aspects of the territories are also important. The weather is an important part of the culture of the Aboriginal people, not only are the weather extremes (such as the record-breaking Arctic heat in Nunavut) and the natural hazards serious concerns, climate change is also a much monitored phenomenon.

The geological makeup and position of Nunavut and the Northwest territories make them very vulnerable to climate change effects, such as the possible melting of permafrost. In the Northwest Territories, their use of their abundant mineral resources have caused a great strain in the environment such as the giant earth scars left by diamond mines or the hazardous tailings pond spills, and the Environmental Engineer should not only be aware of these for future mining operations but could also work together with other agencies to alleviate these prior issues.

Furthermore, the geology of Nunavut can span most of Earth's history with great economic potential yet it is still very underdeveloped, and yet, they are actively advertising extreme sports tourism which could cause environmental as well as safety concerns. In all, there is a balance in the naturalistic Aboriginal-based society and community and the raw environment of this jurisdiction that gives the Environmental Engineer a unique practice.