Watch: Sámi Reindeer Herders Grapple With a Changing Arctic

Warming is threatening the ways of Europe’s last indigenous people.

A Sámi herder. Guardian Video

This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

As the arctic warms four times faster than the global average, Europe’s only indigenous population is under threat. For centuries, the Sámi people have herded reindeer throughout northern Europe. Now, warmer winters are turning the snow the reindeer dig through to find food into ice, blocking their only source of sustenance. In the last two years, 10,000 reindeer died. If this winter is bad, herders fear up to half the herd could be lost.

A Guardian video team consisting of  and  brings us this glimpse of Sámi life, complementing a recent article on the Sámi by senior news reporter Karen McVeigh. Warning: The following contains graphic footage that some viewers may find distressing. 

More Mother Jones reporting on Climate Desk

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