Inuit culture at the coalface of change as a result of climate change

DINES MIKAELSEN steadies a .22 rifle against the bow of his gently bobbing boat, loads the chamber and whispers to his companions to keep quiet.

The Inuit hunter has already missed twice. After a deep breath, he squeezes the trigger. The loud crack echoes off the icebergs and, a football field away, a silver-coated seal collapses, blood turning the clear blue ice red.

Mikaelsen’s four companions — visitors from faraway lands — are stunned. This is what they came to see, but when the shot rang out in the Arctic stillness of southeast Greenland, some hoped it would be another miss.