Sheila Watt-Cloutier of Kuujuaaq was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the United Nations for her work in bringing global awareness to the impact of climate change on arctic communities.

Watt-Cloutier said her goal is to put a human face on the often technical issue of climate change. “There is no heartbeat to these global negotiations. There has been no human face to them in many, many years.”

The award was presented to Watt-Cloutier June 29 in New York.

Watt-Cloutier is also a nominee for the Nobel Peace prize along with former US vice president Al Gore. The winner of that prize will be announced in October.