Permafrost thaw and socio-economic impacts in the Disco Bay region, West Greenland: Youth voices and local stakeholders in developing adaptation and mitigation strategies.

An overview of the methods and some of the early scoping results from the Nunataryuk project (EU-Horizon 2020), on the socio-economic and infrastructure impacts of permafrost thaw in the Disco Bay area of West Greenland is presented, with a focus on a series of preliminary highlights from interdisciplinary and field-based research that connects permafrost studies to policy and stakeholders. Specifically, with a main focus on the coastal town of Ilulissat highlights from early scoping and community consultation processes with local stakeholders are discussed. Also, brief reference is made to preliminary field based efforts to identify and further develop arctic specific physical and social indicators of human development and biophysical changes that are relevant for coastal settings and will help facilitate measurement and tracking of Arctic change in coastal regions. Overview of early highlights also include a series of supporting data from case study work and focus group interviews with local youth in the Disco Bay region with an emphasis on their future, the choices they make, their priorities in terms of culture and identities, where to study and where to live, and factors affecting their social and physical environment. These and other field-based research results will contribute to the identification and design of effective adaptation and mitigation strategies.