The Norse had farming traditions, European trade connections, livestock, metalworking practices, and Christian institutions.

When environmental conditions changed, those differences mattered.

The Norse economy was built around a combination of farming, hunting, and trade.

Inuit economies were much more deeply integrated with Arctic marine resources.

This does not mean that one group was ‘better adapted’ in every possible sense.

It means that the same environmental change could affect them differently.

That distinction is critical.

A colder or more sea-ice-rich environment might create severe problems for a society dependent on livestock hay and European shipping while simultaneously creating opportunities for hunters whose technology and subsistence system were designed around Arctic conditions.