Polar climate change requires the preservation and exchange of traditional skills

                                  Images from the Museum of the North Collection UAF Fairbanks Alaska

Today the polar areas of the north, and south pole are undertaking very fast changes. It is these changes that will require people who live in them to adapt, and to change how survival is done. There is no manual, and thousands of years of knowledge have been squandered with our insistence of forced assimilation, and the throwing away of techniques of human resilience. It is my believe that all is not lost, and the remaining information, knowledge, and skills can still be documented. 

It is my plan to purpose the gathering of these skills from around the polar regions of the world into a data base built on blockchain technology for all to use. The knowledge can also be broken down into sections that allow the formal printing of material to be placed into the hands of native peoples of the north, and non natives alike. With the resources of open source software, cryptocurrency, and university support it is my belief that this can be done.

So I break this social science project into a singular research statement.

Research Question: Can an open sourced data base built into the blockchain be developed to save Polar Region skills?

Possible Thesis Statements:

1. Even though modern knowledge will provide some necessary skills, climate change requires the preservation and exchange of traditional skills because these skills are being lost and rapid climate change requires changes in human resiliency.

2. Climate change requires the preservation and exchange of traditional skills because these skills are being lost and rapid climate change requires changes in human resiliency.

3. Whereas modern knowledge will provide some necessary skills, climate change requires the preservation and exchange of traditional skills given that these skills are being lost.

5. Climate change requires the preservation and exchange of traditional skills even though modern knowledge will provide some necessary skills.

                                   Images from the Museum of the North Collection UAF Fairbanks Alaska

With the proper documentation within the blockchain the data, and knowledge can be preserved, and used by everyone, and also of tool of interchange of skills within a region or beyond. This information could be used to further research into this new area of study, and for a resource in times great change via climate change or other natural and manmade disasters.

I think the funds can be raised within the academic research world, and from the outside from private institutions who have a vested interest in preserving the knowledge of climate change resilience. University resources could be used at reduced costs, and space for the server can be found with research facilities with UAF. The server would also need to be integrated with other nodes to allow the information to be stored with the blockchain for an indefinite period of time. Think of this as a encyclopedia of traditional knowledge from the polar regions of the world. The open access online, and the production of printed material can be stored within the University libraries within the polar regions of the world. The university press could also be paid for at cost via UAF or another supporting institution.

I will further reduce this into a small white paper addressing more areas  further development, and would love some feedback from the community on how I can embed a digital encyclopedia into a blockchain for open and full access.

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