Arctic life is feeling the effects of climate change
The special ‘Arctic Science’ issue of the EU news service presents the latest research into the impacts of climate change and resource extraction in the Arctic region, to help guide policies that affect this unique environment. The issue is free to download from: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/31si.pdf(opens in new window) The rapid loss of sea ice, perhaps the most emblematic impact of climate change, is opening new shipping routes in the Arctic and making remote regions more accessible. This, along with dwindling energy supplies around the world, is leading many countries to exploit the Arctic’s vast gas and oil reserves, despite commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this special issue of Science for Environment Policy, scientists highlight the risk of oil spills in the region from increased shipping, as well as iceberg impacts on drilling operations. Changes in sea ice allow icebergs to be moved more easily by strong currents and winds. Industrial development, such as this, is changing the lives of native communities in the Arctic. For example, more than 100,000 indigenous people here rely on reindeer for their livelihoods, but grazing land is being lost to industry, and the effects of a changing climate on snow and ice cover make annual migration routes increasingly hazardous for the reindeer. In response to these challenges, local herders have collaborated with scientists in a unique project, described in the issue, to develop tools for monitoring the Arctic environment that enable indigenous communities to contribute to local and regional policy decisions. Community collaboration with scientists could also play a key role in protecting Arctic wildlife. Melting sea ice has dramatic effects on marine mammals, such as whales, polar bears and seals, but, limited by financial and logistical challenges, these can be difficult for international scientists to research. One study presented in the issue suggests that Arctic residents could become involved in surveying animal populations, to help inform conservation programmes. “Across the globe, the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent. But nowhere has the effect been felt more strongly than in the Arctic,” says Lawrence Hislop, guest editor of the issue and Head of the Polar Unit at GRID/Arendal, Norway. “The enigmatic and once pristine Arctic environment, home to many unique, diverse and vulnerable ecosystems, is being increasingly affected by human activities.” The timing of this special issue reflects the EU's growing engagement in the Arctic following the 2008 Communication 'The EU and the Arctic Region', the Council Conclusions of 2009 and the European Parliament's 2011 report on the High North. The forthcoming Joint Communication of the High Representative and the Commissionwill review recent progress and the next steps towards developing an EU policy towards the Arctic regions. Contact: Michelle Kilfoyle, Deputy Editor of Science for Environment Policy: michelle.kilfoyle@uwe.ac.uk +44 (0) 117 32 81994 Notes for Editors: Science for Environment Policy is a free news service published by the European Commission’s DG Environment and edited by the Science Communication Unit at the University of the West of England (UWE). It is designed to help the busy policymaker keep up-to-date with the latest environmental research findings needed to design, implement and regulate effective policies. Science for Environment Policy: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/index_en.htm(opens in new window) DG Environment: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/environment/index_en(opens in new window) Science Communication Unit, UWE: www.scu.uwe.ac.uk
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