Copenhagen - Representatives of Indigenous Peoples from across the Arctic are calling on Governments to work with them in tackling the "catastrophic" effects of Climate Change. Bill Erasmus, representing the Arctic Athabaskan Council in Canada, called the situation a "crisis" at a meeting of circumpolar Arctic Indigenous Peoples over the weekend (September 20 & 21). "The permafrost is melting, homes are destroyed, rivers are rising, lakes are disappearing, migratory patterns are changing, seasons are not the same anymore," said Erasmus. "Reindeer herders face the loss of herds, hunters face starvation, trappers are dying because they cannot read ice conditions anymore. People are losing their homes and their lives. Entire communities of Indigenous Peoples are at risk across the Arctic. I think use of the word 'crisis' is appropriate." The Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples Secretariat organized the meeting. This was the first of several planned meetings for Arctic Indigenous Peoples to compile information and develop recommendations to forward to the eight Nation States within the Arctic Council. Indigenous Peoples hope their work will lead to international initiatives that will deal with the human dimensions of Climate Change leading up to the Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit on Climate Change to be held in Anchorage, Alaska, in April 2009.