The vast Arctic region encompasses 17 percent of the globe and is home to 30 different indigenous groups, four million residents and some of the planet’s least disturbed large marine ecosystems. Life in the Arctic has been shaped for thousands of years by the ability to adapt to this land of perpetual ice and snow.
Climate change is rapidly melting the Arctic’s sea ice, fundamentally altering both human communities and natural systems. The retreating ice is not only restructuring Arctic ecosystems, it is also permitting new industrial access for commercial fishing, offshore energy and commercial shipping on a scale never seen before.
To protect life in the Arctic, we must first and foremost work to lower carbon emissions that are the major cause of global warming. This will take a concerted global effort. At the same time, we must build conservation solutions that address the impact of climate change in the Arctic.
This historic threat to the Arctic also presents an opportunity. The Pew Environment Group initiated Oceans North to promote science and community-based stewardship of North America’s Arctic Ocean and the resulting well-being of indigenous residents who rely upon its natural wealth.
Working with indigenous communities and Arctic residents in Canada and the United States, Oceans North promotes science-based policies consistent with indigenous land claims and traditional practices in the following areas: sustainable commercial fishing, environmentally responsible offshore hydrocarbon development and oil spill standards and appropriate Arctic shipping safety rules.
For more information, please visit: www.oceansnorth.org
Feb 05, 2010 - While many studies have examined the mechanisms by which the frozen Arctic and global climate are interrelated, this report, "An Initial Estimate of the Cost of Lost Climate Regulation Services Due to Changes in the Arctic Cryosphere," is the first attempt to estimate the dollar cost of global warming brought about by shrinking ice, snow and permafrost.
Read More
Stay updated with Pew News Now! We invite you to sign up to receive our weekly e-mail newsletter.
Scientists, Lend Your Support Here: Call for "Time Out" in the U.S. Arctic Ocean: Science-Based Precautionary Approach Needed
An advertisement co-sponsored by the Pew Environment Group and others urges deferral of oil and gas drilling off the north coast of Alaska until scientific study can show that it will be environmentally safe.
An advertisement calls on President Obama to defer large-scale oil and gas leasing in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off the northern coast of Alaska.
