While the prospect of the Arctic ice melting and submerging low lying regions might be a great concern to millions, people in the southern fjords of Greenland welcome the warmer climate which has made potato farming profitable. During the summer of 2011 a gang of 11 workers harvested 28 tons of potatoes by the Sermilik Fjord north of Narsaq – something that would have been unthinkable just a few generations ago, when the climate was colder. The Greenlanders are traditionally hunters, but as the ice disappears faster for each year that passes, hunting gets more difficult for both animals and humans.
While the prospect of the Arctic ice melting and submerging low lying regions might be a great concern to millions, people in the southern fjords of Greenland welcome the warmer climate which has made potato farming profitable. During the summer of 2011 a gang of 11 workers harvested 28 tons of potatoes by the Sermilik Fjord north of Narsaq – something that would have been unthinkable just a few generations ago, when the climate was colder. Most of the work was done by hand, as the pristine rocky soil prevented the potato harvester from picking the potatoes. Although the Greenlanders are traditionally hunters and their primary source of food is still fish and mammals from the local marine ecosystem, climate change is forcing them to adapt in order to provide for themselves. As the ice gets thinner and disappears faster for each year that passes, hunting gets more difficult for both animals and humans, who must travel on the ice to catch their prey.