Environment Times 2 Euros

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1 The Actic UNEP Envionment Times 2 Euos No 1 - Fist edition - 16 Pages, AUGUST 2002 A publication by UNEP/GRID -Aendal G R I D A e n d a l SUMMARY Piping-up the valley The Mackenzie Valley in Canada is facing a natual gas pipeline development though huge egions of untouched wildeness. With some local opposition the two authos question if the pipeline can be done without causing seious damage to the envionment. Page 3 Lage human footpints Human infastuctue now coves moe than 15 pe cent of the Actic and in 50 yeas mining, habous, oads and touism will affect moe than half of the Actic. Read about the consequences to natue. Page 4 Fewe mega ice cubes The Actic ice is melting caused by globally wame tempeatues. Pola beas and seals suffe and indigenous people of the Noth will have moe difficulties suviving by taditional methods. Climate change is changing the Actic as well. Page 7-9 Fou diffeent futues A sustainable futue o a futue whee secuity and maket is fist? In fou aticles the Global Envionment Outlook epot s fou scenaios fo the futue of the Actic is exploed. Page Lombog, May, Matin and Stenlund Fou intenationally enowned envionmental expets ae giving thei pedictions and thoughts on the futue of the Actic envionment. Page Read also what the Global Envionment Outlook Repot states on issues like biodivesity, indigenous people, climate change and pollution. Actic eco-touists kayaking in Kangedlussuaq/ Inglefield Fjod in NW Geenland. The uniqueness of the Actic The Actic has always gipped ou imagination. The ealy exploes who came back fom thei jouneys told the wold about a baen land with ice, snow and dakness whee they had to fight to suvive. Thei ships wee often cushed fom the foce of the difting ice; men died of stavation o scuvy, o fo lack of equipment and clothing to potect them fom the biting cold. But could also tell of meetings with fiendly people who had adapted to life in these hash conditions, and who often helped them to suvive. They copied the Inuit s fu clothes and thei simple, ingenious modes of tanspot, such as the kayak and the dog-sledge things that ae still used. Thei diaies descibed a wold of eindee, seabids, seals, walus, whales and encouaged new expeditions to exploit these iches of the High Noth. Myths flouished then. Stoies wee told that the inteio of Geenland was wam and lush, that thee was an unknown, unexploited continent at the Noth Pole. Ealy exploes wanted to open a sea oute fom the Noth Atlantic Ocean to the Being Stait, the so-called Noth West Passage. Othe attempts wee made to sail the Noth East Passage fom Euope along the Sibeian coast to Asia. The Actic still fascinates, even though we now know that the inteio of Geenland is a massive ice cap and thee is only difting sea ice on the Noth Pole. Ice-going vessels ae now able to penetate the Actic seaways most of the yea and touist expeditions to the Noth Pole ae egula (if expensive) featues. Now thee is no unknown land to discove and map, what is so special about the Actic, othe than its impessive sceney and stunning beauty? The Actic is of geat inteest to biologists. It has only about 10% of the plant and animal species found in tempeate egions, and a faction of those in the topics. But the few species that live in the Actic ae extaodinaily well adapted to life unde maginal conditions. The gowing season fo plants is vey Thick blubbe and geenhouselike fu and skin system allow pola beas to stoll aound on the ice in biting cold. shot and thee is often no moe than a few weeks to gow and set seeds. Little enegy is wasted on unnecessay gowth, so stems ae shot and tough. Some plants, such as the Actic poppy, have adapted emakably. Its white and yellow flowe foms a paabola that collects the sunlight in the cente whee the seeds ae fomed. Its flowe faces the A young Nenets woman heds eindee past an industial complex on taditional Nenets land on Yamal peninsula, Russia. sun as it moves acoss the sky each day, using all available sunlight. Othe plants gow in small balls whee the little heat fom the sun is concentated, in the middle whee the oots ae. Some plants equie two o moe summes to set seeds. Animals ae also well adapted to the cold. Reindee, seals and pola beas have thick layes of blubbe unde thei skin that seves two main puposes. Five to ten centimetes of fat ae vey effective insulation against cold. ls that bask on the sea ice o dive in ice-cold wate do not feel the cold. The eindee s thick blubbe laye is often combined with a long and dense fu that is an equally effective insulato. Pola beas have thick blubbe and dense fu too. The white fu of these magnificent canivoes is almost tanspaent, so that sunlight can tavel though the fu. But the skin is black, and so paticulaly effective in absobing the heat fom the sun. The combination of thick blubbe and a geenhouse-like fu and skin system allows pola beas to stoll on the ice in biting cold. The pola bea s poblem continued page 2 Staffan Widstand/Natubild Byan and Chey Alexande

2 2 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002 s kyi Cental Sibeian Upland en Rid g e ey Yenis el Y kk R West Sibeian Plain Novaya Zemlya Ob R i Svalbad ve Baents Mt Geenland White FINLAND s. Vo lg a R iv e U al NORWAY SWEDEN Zap. Dvina Baltic Noth n e h Riv s Ity s Lake Ladoga Gulf of Bothnia Faeoe Islands Atlantic Ocean Noth Dvina Lake Onega Nowegian ICELAND Ob R ive sh Ka Kola Peninsula Jan Mayen Ity Spitsbegen Bea Island iv e Ob Ga en RUSSIA Kaa Fanz Josef Land Na ns Nansen Basin R ive e n is e y a Volg Tho S. Lasen UNEP/GRID-Aendal Lake Baikal The Actic povides oppotunities fo ou moden wold but challenges too. What can we do about it? Thee ae some things that eveyone should agee upon. Indigenous people have made a living in the High Noth fo hundeds, sometimes thousands of yeas. They have developed unique lifestyles in hamony with the land and the sea. But these societies ae now theatened. Indigenous peoples cultues and ights need to be espected, but should also be bought into line with the moden wolds political agenda. This include thei ight to find thei own way to the moden wold. Thee is a need to expand ou knowledge of the Actic s ecosystems so that we ae bette able to manage its iches. Thee is also a need to enhance ou awaeness of the Actic. And finally, we must foste political mechanisms and intenational ageements and instuments to secue the pope management and consevation of this vey impotant pat of ou planet. Rive On the flat tunda, pemafost pevents pollutants fom sinking into the gound. Hazadous substances emain in ponds and wetlands impotant to wate bids and eindee, and low tempeatues slow down thei deteioation. This has fa-eaching ecological effects that ae often moe seious than in moe tempeate egions. Vehicles can tea up the thin active laye above the pemafost, exposing the fozen gound to melting. Because egowth is so slow in the Actic, wate and thawing can easily tansfom a vehicle tack to a flowing ive in a vey shot time. a UNEP/GRID-Aendal, Philippe Rekacewicz, 1997 e so no mo Lo Davis Stait Lake Saint Jean Fam Stait GREENLAND (Denmak) i P Noth Land Amundsen Basin vr idg Labado k Ri d ge ns Ta y m Baffin Island Baffin Bay hoy life is so ich, ae also the places whee oil spills get tapped and stay because it is so difficult to clean them up. Ri ive Lena R Makaov Basin ar idg James Bay Len a Foxe Basin Aldan Laptev Actic Ocean Al ph Ellesmee Island Hudson Bay Ve k New Sibeian Islands e Lake Winnipeg Ch East Sibeian Canada Basin Banks Island Rive R id g e Kolyma Chukchi e s Ale uti an I nge Ra oo nge e Riv The foest-tunda: patches of continuous foest intespesed with tunda-like open aeas. Ra ks Being Stait ma The Tunda: vast, open plain with continuous plant cove; Kolyma Mts. ALASKA (USA) Pola deset: bae soils and ocks with spaes plant communities; ka Amu Okhotsk Koyaks Mts. Being ve Actic land compises of: s A la Kamchatka u la FACTS Pacific Ocean in s Thee ae also unique ecological adaptations in the Actic s maine envionment. Scientists have found that algae can gow pofusely unde the sea ice, theeby establishing an upside-down sea-bottom system ds ei Rh The Svalbad achipelago is a good example. Thee ae no indigenous lemmings o othe small odents on the islands. Hence, falcons, owls and othe bids of pey ae also absent. The lage glaucous gull has taken on thei ole, and lives on chicks fom eides and seabids it is even able to catch the small, fast flying auk in the ai. Because lemmings and othe odents ae absent, the actic fox, too, has to tun to othe little pey. In Svalbad, the fox hunts ducks and wades on thei nests and has become a scavenge that collects dead bids unde bid cliffs. It builds depots fo the winte and it follows the pola bea on its seal hunt onto the ice duing wintetime. Actic foxes can often tavel miles away fom any shoe. Fox tacks have been obseved on the middle of the sea ice between Geenland and Svalbad. lan k o n R iv e Actic ecosystems ae commonly seen as paticulaly vulneable because thei species ae few. Topical ecosystems ae consideed moe obust because of thei species ichness. This is only patly tue; though plants and animals in the topics ae highly specialized, Actic species can often demonstate a emakable ability to adapt as living conditions change. THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE ARCTIC Though thee ae few plant and animal species in the Actic, some of them can appea in impessive numbes. Some flowes cove the gound as huge ed, yellow and white capets duing summetime. Reindee oam aound in heds that can each thousands of heads, and some seabid colonies have Mountains Rocky tens of thousands, somemackenzie Mountains times even millions of Mack inhabitants. But this enzie Rive Geat Slave Lake ichness is also a ealake son fo envionmental Geat Bea Athabasca Lake concen. The ice-edge CANADA and between the Victoia Island floes, whee maine Actic species can often demonstate a emakable ability to adapt as living conditions change. the den and heads fo the sea ice with he cubs she is lean and he fat eseves ae small. But she is still stong and fast, able to hunt seals fo heself and he cubs. Actic Council at the Wold Summit on Sustainable Development, August Yu Blubbe is not just an effective insulato against cold. It is also an impotant eseve fo nutition and suvival, not least fo eindee, who have little access to gazing duing winte, and fo pola beas, who must often live fo weeks and even months without seals, thei main pey. The blubbe plays a paticulaly impotant ole fo denning females. A pegnant bea comes ashoe in late autumn to dig a den in the snow. Thee she gives bith to two vey small cubs aound Chistmas. The biths ae pematue, as the cubs ae naked and blind with a weight aound 250 gams. The female bea stays in the den fo six months, without anything to eat. When the cubs emege fom the den in Mach o Apil, each of them has gained 10 kilos. How is it possible fo thei mothe to suvive fo so long without food and to aise two cubs that have dained 20 kilos fom he body? The answe is that the bea s fat is tansfomed to ich, nouishing milk fo he offsping, and she has no need to daw potein fom he muscles. When the female bea leaves The Actic egion is a global indicato of the impacts of pollution and climate change fo the whole wold that nouish plankton, that in tun is food fo fish, seabids, seals and whales. When the ice ecedes in sping, the exposed, nutitious seawate is exposed to 24 hous of sunlight that leads to sudden, intense maine poduction. This, combined with upwelling of nutients fom the seafloo, ae the main easons why nothen seas such as the Being and the Baents ae such impotant commecial fishing gounds. B continued fom page 1 comes duing summe when it may get oveheated and has to take to the sea to cool off. UNEP/GEO-3: CONFLICT OVER USE OF LAND Extending 14 million squae kilometes, twice the size of Austalia, the Actic lands ae ich in esouces with lage potential fo oil and gas dilling in paticula. This is what the ecently eleased United Nations Envionment Pogamme (UNEP) s Global Envionment Outlook epot (GEO3) states. Not only have the Actic states lately become a popula tavel destination inceasing touism and a gowing concen that touists will put exta pessues on wildlife, wate and othe basic necessities. But the possibilities of exploitation of the huge deposits of oil, gas and mineals in the Actic put seious pessues on the land. The Actic land consists of thee main sub-systems, the high pola deset, the tunda and the foest-tunda. Unde most of this land is a laye of pemafost, which is defined as gound that emains fozen fo at least two summes in a ow. This laye can each depths of 1500 metes. When the uppe level melts in the sping, the melt-wate cannot sink below the emaining pemafost and flows apidly ove the fozen suface into steams and ives. The pemafost melts moe easily with wame tempeatues and exacebates an aleady widespead and inceasing amount of eosion. In ecent yeas appoximately 70 million ha of tunda has been degaded though destuction of soil and vegetative cove esulting fom pospecting, mineal development, cas, constuction and, at cetain location, ovegazing by eindee. Actic govenments have taken action to potect about 15 pe cent of thei land. Howeve, that figue is misleading because nealy 50 pe cent of the potected aeas ae classified as Actic deset o glacie. These highly potected aeas ae also the least poductive pat of the Actic. In Geenland most of the potected aea is ice cap. Fo futhe eading: GEO-3 AMAP (1997) Actic Pollution Issues: A State of the Actic Envionment Repot woking-goups/vaious_epots.htm CAFF (2002) sao_docs/11_2_1_caffepot.pdf

3 August THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES 3 Mackenzie Valley: balancing natue, cultue and natual gas EDITORIAL Save Nivlheim The Nodic Vikings had a name fo the emote, outemost and inaccessible pat of thei wold. They called it Nivlheim. This was a cold, baen and hash land, with snow and ice all yea ound, and with complete dakness and howling winds a place whee no man could suvive. The Vikings mythical Nivlheim could well have been based upon the Actic as it was thought to be at that time. The Mackenzie Valley natual gas pipeline will be the lagest development poject eve attempted in the cicum-actic. Foothills Pipe Lines Ltd. We now know of a diffeent Actic, with beautiful landscapes, massive glacies pouing into ice-coveed seas, tundas coveed in capets of many-coloued flowes, seabids in thei thousands beeding in cliffs that line the shoes. Reindee move in hundeds, seals bask in the sun and pola beas stoll ove the difting ice. The Actic is one of the wold s few emaining aeas of pistine wildeness. In the Global Envionment Outlook 3 (GEO3) epot, the United Nations Envionment Pogamme (UNEP) has sketched a pictue of the Actic today. The egion is changing fast and the Actic sections of the GEO 3 epot tell this stoy. Indigenous people, who ae adapted to the Actic envionment and who have maintained thei taditional lifestyles fo centuies, ae now seiously affected by ou moden wold and have to adapt to ou way of living and to ou use of esouces. A Mackenzie Valley natual gas pipeline is looking inceasingly likely but will Canada ensue that this megadevelopment poject, affecting huge egions of unfagmented wildeness, balances natual and cultual values? WWF, the consevation oganisation, believes it can and will, and is woking in patneship with the indigenous peoples oganisations, Fist Nations, industy, and govenments to ensue the simultaneous completion of a netwok of ecologically and cultually epesentative potected aeas in the affected natual egions. The Mackenzie is one of the wold s geat ives in good company with the Nile, Congo, Yangtse, Lena, Indus, Rhine and Amazon. But it is now almost unique in its natual state no dams, divesions o majo developments along its full couse and valley. It also povides the lagest single souce of feshwate and nutients to the Actic Ocean. The Mackenzie Valley s biophysical featues ae undoubtedly of global significance, and will be majo consideations as development plans and assessments poceed fo the new enegy coido between the Mackenzie Delta noth of Inuvik though the Nothwest Teitoies (NWT) to existing gas pipeline netwoks in nothen Albeta, 1,350km away (see map). Whethe o not the Mackenzie natual gas eseves (an estimated 0.17 billion Sm3 o.e) ae hooked-up with gas piped fom nothen Alaska (estimated to be at least an ode of magnitude lage than the Mackenzie eseves), this will be the lagest development poject financially eve attempted in the cicum-actic (with an estimated $US 3-4 billion pice tag), and will esult in the wold s longest pipeline. Of couse, this new enegy coido will foste othe industial developments acoss the adjacent landscape oil and gas, mining, foesty, hydo ventues, inceased oad access, etc. All this new development will undoubtedly have huge social, economic, cultual and envionmental impacts acoss the entie egion, affecting aeas well beyond the elatively naow coido selected fo the main gas pipeline. Local Aboiginal oganizations ae now geneally suppotive of the mega-poject, unlike pevious attempts, which wee postponed until Aboiginal land claims wee settled and measues put in place to potect natual and cultual values. Today, thee of the fou Aboiginal land claims have been settled along the NWT potion of the potential pipeline oute. Those goups (the Inuvialuit, Gwich in and Sahtu) have signed a joint pipeline ventue with the majo goup of Mackenzie opeatos Impeial Oil Resouces, Conoco Phillips, Shell Canada, and Exxon Mobil Canada. The Deh Cho Fist Nations in the westen NWT ae still negotiating fo Teaty Rights and Self-Govenment Ageements. Govenments and the Canadian public also seek developments of this kind, fo a secue enegy supply, jobs, and evenue, though consevation of cultual and natual values ae also top pioities in this huge nation of elatively pistine natual aeas, whee many nothen communities still depend on hunting and tapping of wildlife fo thei livelihoods and cultual identity. Canada was the fist industialized nation to sign the Biodivesity Convention (1992), which spawned widespead adoption of the pinciples of sustainable development as a coe taget and policy fo decision-making. In the same yea fedeal, povincial and teitoial govenments signed Canada s Ti- Council commitment to complete the netwok of potected aeas in the 486 natual teestial egions of Canada by Howeve, less than 1/3 of these natual egions ae adequately potected to-date. In the Mackenzie Valley, most natual egions contain no potected aeas in Alaska the coveage of potected aeas is fa bette, and includes the aeas adjacent to the tans-alaskan oil pipeline (see map). Canada embaced the attitude of developing natual esouces in the Actic in a sensitive way with envionmental potection as a top pioity. As a key playe in the eight-nation Actic Envionmental Potection Stategy (AEPS) now the Actic Council Canada also committed itself to the ongoing Cicumpola Potected Aeas Netwok (CPAN) initiative, to complete a epesentative netwok of potected natual habitats to help balance futue esouce development with the consevation of natue and cultue. Although thee is a ecognized need to conside cumulative impacts of these developments, thee is still a huge degee of uncetainty about this, as existing and subsequent developments will also impact the same aeas and cultues. This is pecisely why thee must be a boad, landscape-level appoach, eseving a netwok of ecologically and cultually epesentative potected aeas almost as an insuance policy, safeguading samples of the natual nothen wold, which will also seve as cucial benchmak efeence aeas, against which to assess development impacts. Many emain fundamentally opposed to the vey notion of ceating majo industial coidos though what emains of the wold s wildeness aeas. Citizens, including nothenes, ae still vey nevous about the long-tem impacts of such mega-development on thei cultue, thei economy, thei envionment and the wildlife that have sustained them fo thousands of yeas, not to mention the climatic change and its stiking impacts, which ae now especially evident in the Actic! continued page 4 We have eason to be concened that ove-fishing is depleting Actic fish stocks so that impotant fisheies will soon not be sustainable. In addition we have become awae of the consequences of the massive influx of pollutants to the aea, often bought by winds fom the south to maine and teestial ecosystems. Pollutants in fish, seals and eindee affect local people s health. Moden technology allows us to exploit the Actic s gas and oil eseves as neve befoe, but blow-outs and massive oil spills may have die ecological consequences: we lack the technology to deal with these in ice-coveed wates. Changing climate and weathe pattens will also affect us. The sea ice is getting thinne and the bodes between the dift ice and open seas eteat nothwads evey yea. Ocean cuents may change thei couse, o even cease to flow as befoe. The impact of all this on the est of the wold will be sevee. Today 85% of the Actic is pistine wildeness, but ou scenaios show that if development is left to maket foces only, this might be educed to less than 30% by the middle of the centuy due to development of infastuctue, exploation of oil and gas, mining, logging and touism. Ou moden wold depends on the Actic's esouces, and dedicated and stong decision-making is needed to make the Actic development sustainable. We shall not give in to gloom: as the GEO3 epot shows, this is an immediate challenge to us all. We must addess the impotance of the Actic and its climate and people; and ecognise scientists discoveies, conside thei ecommendations and do something about them. We must espect indigenous people s taditions, needs and ights. Intenational ageements and conventions povide us with the mechanisms we need. Politicians can give the maching odes and decision-makes in national and intenational institutions can set things in motion. But we must not wait. We must act now if we ae to save Nivlheim. D. Klaus Töpfe Global Envionment Outlook 3 This epot descibes the state of global envion-mental conditions, tends, and policy esponses ove the past 30 yeas; eva-luates human vulneability to envionmental change; and pesents futue visions of the envionment and options fo action fo the next 30 yeas. A UNEP-Eathscan publication

4 4 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002 continued fom page 3 Substantial investment is needed in the egulatoy system, and in egional planning to pescibe appopiate land and esouce use. Public and govenment statements and commitments eflect the need and philosophy behind this common sense balanced appoach. Not supisingly, the oil and gas industy and investos also seek this appoach, which minimizes the likelihood of developmental delays, esulting in fewe costly battles in the couts o out on the tunda. With this solid philosophy and univesally accepted pinciple of balanced development, the majo stakeholdes ae now conducting feasibility studies and initial socioeconomic, engineeing and envionmental assessments of specific oute options, pio to filing a fomal development application in the next yea o so. GIS-based mapping of all existing biophysical and natual esouce infomation is equied to identify pioity aeas, and then close collaboation with the communities to confim and update these data is needed. WWF is cuently conducting this wok within the existing NWT Potected Aeas Stategy (PAS) patneship of Aboginal communities, industy and govenments and envionmental oganizations. The esulting maps and data will be made widely available. This infomation will then be used in the PAS to help identify and eseve an adequate netwok of cultually and ecologically impotant aeas fo legal potection while finalizing and appoving the pipeline oute and its associated infastuctue. Human footpints gowing bigge Speedy industialisation in the nothen wildeness aeas poses a theat to animals, the envionment and indigenous people. Moe than 15 pe cent of the Actic is cuently affected by human infastuctue. If this level of development continues, moe than half of the Actic will be affected by mining, oil and gas dilling, habous, oads, touism and othe sevice activities by These calculations have been done in the United Nations Envionment Pogamme s (UNEP) epot Global Methodology fo Mapping Human Impacts on the Biosphee (GLOBIO). The epot povides a new method of easily summing up the total human impact on natue. In many counties, calculating envionmental consequences fom e.g. wate powe plants and oads ae subject to egulations. Howeve, the total effects of such development pojects have neve been popely calculated. GLOBIO povides a new and elatively easy method to do so. The methods used in the GLOBIO epot wee developed by the Nowegian Diectoate fo Natue Management (NINA) and UNEP/GRID-Aendal, togethe with a numbe of intenational scientists. Moe than 200 conclusions fom scientific studies aound the wold ae the foundation of GLOBIO. These studies show how human activity affects the envionment. As moe of the emaining wildeness aeas decease in size and numbe, many species will be concentated in these aeas, which will incease the pessue on ecosystems; webs of life that animals depend on fo food, wate and shelte. GLOBIO is building on infastuctue as an indicato fo human intevention. Roads, ailways and pipelines ae all signs of industialisation. When these tanspotation gateways ae established, a moe uncontollable development follows, such as inceased immigation and lage cities. All those factos incease defoestation, ove- gazing, wate pollution, social conflicts, eosion and fagmentation of wildeness aeas. Animal life Most animals ty to avoid human-built infastuctue. Moe than 100 studies of Actic animal species show that some animals will have poblems in the wake of industialisation. Reindee heds may be influenced by oads up to five kilometes away. Lage pedatos, such as wolf and bea, ae affected when the neaest oad is close than two kilometes away. Most bids only have to be one kilomete away fom a oad to feel its negative impact. Shinking and fagmented pastues esults in ove-gazing which leads to eosion and affects animals epoduction abilities. Pedatos and pey animals may be foced to live close to each othe. Thee will be loses but also winnes in the Actic wildlife in the futue. A numbe of animals will take advantage of the fact that othe species ae disappeaing. In 2050, the Actic will have less migatoy bids and mammals like the pola fox and the eindee, but moe gulls and ed foxes. When humans intefee in the delicate ecological balance in the Actic, oppotunistic species may play moe ponounced oles. Moe specialised animal species will be educed in numbes that appoach extinction. Vegetation and floa Powe and pipelines have limited shot-tem affect on the Actic vegetation. Changes in snow cove and smalle distubances in the soil can nomally This lage-scale, high-pofile and timely oppotunity will position Canada as a lead nation in envionmental and cultual potection, showcasing a majo commitment to a tuly balanced, sustainable appoach. All the playes involved hope and expect that Canada will seize this oppotunity. Pete Ewins Diecto Actic Consevation William Capente Regional Consevation Diecto NWT, WWF-Canada The Actic egion has lowe life expectancy and highe motality ates, including highe infant motality ates, than national aveages of its constituent counties. Fishing station in Lofoten in Nothen Noway. The Actic oceans and seas host a ich and divese maine and feshwate fish species, with aound 150 species of fish in the Baents, White and Kaa s compised of lage numbes of cod, heing, capelin, and salmon. Thee ae as many species in the Being and Chukchi system, which also includes the heavily exploited pollock. In fact the Baents and the Being systems ae two of the most commecially poductive fisheies in the wold. The Being accounting fo 2 to 5 pe cent of the wold s fishey catches. Economically, the Actic fisheies supply a significant pat of the wold s fish supply. The Being fisheies alone compise half the United States catches. GEO-3 REPORT: LESS FISH IN THE SEA But thee ae gowing pessues to the Actic fisheies, accoding to the ecently eleased United Nations Envionment pogamme (UNEP)s Global Envionment Outlook epot, called the GEO3. Ove fishing is a seious poblem. Since the 1950s, thee have been some spectacula cashes of populations of commecially impotant species such as the cod and Atlantic salmon off the coasts of Canada and Geenland and heing in the Nowegian and Icelandic wates. Stict consevation measues including no-catch zones wee put in place. Howeve, even with those measues, some ecovey has been slow and not a cetainty. Othe populations such as the haddock stocks in the wates between nothen Noway and Svalbad have seen a gadual but steady decline. The Icelandic fishing ban on Atlantic heing between 1972 and 1975 made a diffeence, with stocks gadually ecoveing and now consideed to be within safe biological limits. The declining stocks put pessue on the Actic indigenous people who often depend on fish catches. Climate changes may also theaten species by educing ice habitats. Ragna Vaga Pedesen /Svanhovd Envionmental Cente

5 August THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES 5 be detected up to 500 metes fom such powe lines. On a boade scale howeve, these stuctues have an advese affect on the ecosystem. Up to two kilometes away fom the pipelines, effects can be measued in changes in pemafost and damage fom off-oad vehicles. Indigenous people Hunting is the lifeline of many indigenous goups as Sami, Komi, and Chukchi in Euo-Asia and Dogib, Cee, Innu and Yupiit in Noth-Ameica. These people have evolved in close elationship with thei envionment. Social netwoks, taditions and a lifestyle thousands of yeas old depends on the movements of the animals. Nothen Scandinavia and pat of Russia ae examples of aeas whee the cuent gowth in infastuctue connected to tanspotation, oil, gas and mineal extacts, is incompatible with eindee heding. Indigenous people ae foced to leave thei nomadic lifestyles in favou of a settled lifestyle. In Alaska, Canada and in Geenland many indigenous people will inceasingly be affected when all thei taditional food habits and activities disappea as a esult of industialisation. Fo futhe eading: GLOBIO Svein Tveitdal, Managing Diecto UNEP/GRID-Aendal Las Kulleud, Diecto Univesity of the Actic In 1596, on his attempt to find a nothen sea oute fom Euope to China, Willem Baentsz discoveed an island in the high noth. He named the island Spitsbegen (spiky mountains), today one of the islands in the achipelago known as Svalbad. Willem Baentsz died on Novaya Zemlya in 1597 duing this expedition, howeve the discovey of Spitsbegen was made public and vey soon attacted the attention of Dutch and English entepeneus. Thei main inteest was the epoted abundance of Geenland Right whales (also called Bowhead whales). The fist whaling in the aea stated sometime aound Initially, the whales wee flensed (butcheed) alongside the ships. The blubbe was then cooked to ende it into oil at pimitive land stations. Often these stations wee only used fo one o two yeas. Late the land stations became much lage, multi-yea settlements. The best-known station is pobably Smeeenbug, on Amstedam Island, Spitsbegen. Stations like Smeeenbug made it possible to pocess lage numbes of whales. At the end of each whaling season, the baels with tain oil wee shipped back to Euope. The emains of the blubbe ovens and the whales huts ae still found on the West coast of Spitsbegen. The hunting had a devastating impact on the whales in the aea. When the Geenland Right whale population stated to decline damatically Whaling in the Spitsbegen wates Histoy povides a clea waning about the impact of uthless exploitation. aound Spitsbegen, the whale hunt shifted fom Spitsbegen to Jan Mayen, and then to the Davis Staits between Geenland and Canada. It is estimated that a total of appoximately 120 thousand Geenland Right whales wee caught between 1612 and The size of the population of Geenland Right whales befoe 1612 is estimated at 46 thousand. Cuently almost no Geenland Right whales ae left in the Nothen Atlantic Ocean. In ecent yeas, only some ae obsevations of Bowhead whales in Svalbad wates wee epoted. This histoy povides a clea waning about the impact of uthless exploitation of natual esouces. In case of the Geenland Right whale, the epoduction ate is so low that the population does not seem to be capable of gowing back to safe numbes. Even afte a few hunded yeas, the Atlantic population is still baely clinging on. Each yea, in the Beaufot/Chuckchi aea, a few Bowhead whales ae still taken as pat of the taditional hunt by Actic indigenous people. This subsistence hunting, which is subject to stict contol and intenational ageement, povides taditional food that is an impotant pat of the diet fo these isolated communities. Recently, ageement on the taditional hunt has been used as a ploy in the wide intenational disageements about the futue of commecial whaling with potentially damaging consequences fo the physical and cultual health of the indigenous people concened. Futhe eading: Hacquebod, L., Envionment and Histoy 7 (2001): Hacquebod, L., 1999: Pola Reseach 18(2), Fits Steenhuisen Actic Cente Univesity of Goningen, The Nethelands FACTS Actic animals and plants: About 130 species of land animals among which ae the pola beas, muckox, eindee and caibou, About 280 nesting bid species among which ae geese, ducks and seabids; 450 species of fish, such as cod, salmon, heing, capelin, pollock and halibut and seveal species of shellfish; Lage sea mammals such as walus, seals and whales; 3000 species of insects; 3000 floweing plants; 3000 lichens and mosses; 5000 fungi. Reindee husbandy and foesty UNEP/Bazkov Stanisca 1999, Thopham Pictuepoint Running eindee in captivity. About 2.5 million semidomesticated eindee oam thoughout nothenmost Euasia along a belt unning fom Scandinavia to the Beinge Stait. Reindee husbandy is an ancient livelihood common to moe than 20 diffeent ethnic o language goups. Most eindee hedes ae nomads who migate with thei eindee between summe pastues on the tunda and winte pastues in the taiga foests. These seasonal migations fequently take place ove hundeds of kilometes. Despite the scale of these activities, in Sibeia, fo instance, the whole annual eindee management cycle takes place noth of the aea used fo commecial foesty. But in nothenmost Fennoscandia, eindee husbandy and foesty ovelap, paticulaly in Finland and Sweden whee % of the eindee population live in conifeous foests, at least duing the winte. Shaing esouces has sometimes ceated poblems. Reindee gazing is geneally thought to hinde the natual egeneation of Scots pine and bich, and destoy bich cultivations if they ae not fenced; but in fact thee is little damage to young Scots pine stands. Thee can also be conflicts of inteest between eindee husbandy and othe use of land (oads, pipelines etc). In Noway thee is consideable debate about an amy ocket-testing site that is peventing eindee hedes fom using much of thei taditional land. Thee was a geneal belief that any damage to eindee husbandy fom foesty would gadually disappea. But it is now clea that final cuttings affect eindee s winte pastues: the animals pefe old foests, which povide an abundance of eindee lichens, thei main winte food. Final cuttings educe the value of the pastue. The loss of aboeal lichens is even cleae. Reindee feed on them in mid and late winte, when the deep snow limits access to eindee lichens. Discoveing new ways to integate eindee husbandy and foesty is still a challenge. Planning the shaed use of foests can help with technical solutions, especially if all the uses have a geate say in making decisions about mattes of concen to all. Timo Helle and Mikko Hyppönen Rovaniemi Reseach Station The Finnish Foest Reseach Institute

6 6 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002 Oil and Gas esouces in the Baents The Baents, with its disputed bode contolled by Russia and Noway, suppots one of the wold s majo fisheies, and is as such, aleady economically vey impotant. The Baents may also become a majo gas and oil supplie in the futue. ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS IN THE BARENTS REGION Fanz Joseph Land (Russia) The sea is split by a natual geological bode zone, following appoximately along the midline between Noway and Russia. This bode sepaates some enomous gas fields identified on Russian side fom seveal modest discoveies on the Nowegian side. Thee is 0,3 billion Sm3 o.e. (standad cubic metes of oil equivalents) of extactable oil identified on the Nowegian side; mainly as gas, with anothe estimated 1 billion m3 unidentified. Unofficial souces indicate that the aleady discoveed esouces on the Russian side total about 8 billion Sm3 o.e. The Russian esouces ae thus by fa the lagest, even befoe the Russian undiscoveed esouces ae estimated (the undiscoveed amount is speculated to be an exceptional 100 billion Sm3 o.e.). Oil and gas exploation in the Baents has faced slow development, due to the costs and political isks involved. The new stat fo the Snøhvit Field and a new oil discovey not too fa fom the coast has boosted new development optimism on the Nowegian secto, in spite of stong opposition fom geen movements. High oil pice and a moe stable political situation has also inspied new investments and plans fo development on the Russian side. The Baents shelf has a long geological histoy, whee ock fomations favouable fo late oil and gas occuences developed. A few million yeas ago, when the Atlantic Ocean opened all the way to the Actic Ocean, land on the side of the new ocean aised while land futhe away fom the ift wee not lifted. Eosion of this new land lead to deceased pessue fom the above ocks on the oil and gas aleady tapped thee. The ocks cacked leading to leakage o expansion of the gas pessed oil out of the taps. This has been the case fo discoveies in the Hammefest Basin, including the Snøhvit field, whee dill coes show that the field used to be filled with oil, but now has mainly gas. The Oil that once was thee has leaked out to the sea ove the last two million yeas; but some continued page 7 Hunting inged seal, the pefeed diet fo pola beas, has become a lot moe difficult ove the past decades fo the lage white bea. With wame tempeatues in the Actic, the ice, whee the inged seal feed and give bith, melts ealie. When the pola beas come out of winte hibenation in ealy sping the ice may aleady be gone and so ae the seals. The pola bea is left staving in a peiod when it should build up its body fat fo the coming bithing peiod. This is just one example of how the geneal incease in global tempeatues has an immense effect on the Actic envionment, as descibed in the ecently eleased United Nations Envionment Pogamme (UNEP) s Global Envionment Outlook epot (GEO3). Measuements fom 1979 to 1997 indicate an incease of 1oCelcius pe decade in the easten Actic and a decease of 1oCelcius in the westen Actic. At the same time the potective statospheic ozone laye has thinned. Thee have been spoadic episodes of sevee statospheic ozone depletion ove the past 30 yeas and a 7.5 pe cent decease in Actic ozone between the 1970s and 1990s. Fo each 1 pe cent decease in statospheic ozone, thee is about a 1 to 2 pe cent incease in ultaviolet adiation. The impacts ae seious and can affect the entie food chain of the Actic. Fo example, educed Actic cicle NORGE (Noway) Cuent Nowegian petoleum exploation UNEP/GEO-3: SURVIVORS IN THE COLD oil Nowegian Mosjøen Potential fo finding : natual gas Confimed oil and gas fields Majo pipeline Mo i Rana Bodø SVERIGE (Sweden) A c t i c NORDLAND TROMS Snøhvit Tomsø Kiuna Gulf of Bothnia Majo seabids colonies (individuals) to moe than Russian-Nowegian bode at sea Russian claim Gällivae NORRBOTTEN Luleå Nowegian claim Bjønøya (Noway) Albatoss Askeladd Hammefest Kemi SUOMI (Finland) ozone potection damages phytoplankton and othe micobial oganisms that powe the life systems of the Actic. The wame tempeatues also educe the snow and ice cove. This, togethe with inceased levels of pol lutants on the land suface, educe the amount of eflection of sunlight adding to the oveall waming effect. The changes ae a stak eminde of the inteconnectedness between the eath s suface, its wate masses and its atmospheic systems. Accoding to scientists polluting human activities both in and outside the Actic contibutes to most of these changes. Most Actic states embace the Kyoto Potocol and othe climate change instuments, with the exception of the withdawal of the USA. Svalbad (Noway) Fo futhe eading GEO-3 AMAP (1977) Actic Pollution Issues: A State of the Actic Envionment Repot CAFF (1994) The State of Potected Aeas in the Cicumpola Actic Alta FINNMARK Baents Ivalo LAPLAND R U S S I A Vadø Vadsø Kikenes Kemijävi Rovaniemi Nikel Pechenga Mumansk Monchegosk Kiovsk Kandalaksha Kem Belomosk REPUBLIC OF KARELIA Medvezhegosk Petozavodsk Saint-Petesbug MURMANSK OBLAST White Seveodvinsk Onega O c e a n Kanin Peninsula Akhangelsk Novaya Disputed aeas km South Hudson Bay C a n a d a WH Davis Stait Disputed aea Foxe Basin Mc Clintock Channel GB Mezen ARkHANGELSK OBLAST Kolguyev Indiga NENETS OKRUG Kotlas Zemlya Naian-Ma Kaa Vaygach DISTRIBUTION OF POLAR BEAR POPULATIONS IN THE ARCTIC Alaska Noth Beaufot VM Lancaste Sound Baffin Bay Southen Beaufot NW KB Chukchi East Geenland I c e l a n d Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean Actic Basin G e e n l a n d Nowegian Svalbad Actic Laptev Fanz Joseph Novaya Zemlya Cicle S c a n d i n a v i a Amdema Vaandej Usinsk Majo oil pipeline spill (Novembe 1994) Ukhta Pechoa Russia KB Kane basin WH Westen Hudson Bay VM Viscount Melville Bay GB Gulf of Boothia NW Nowegian Bay Baentswatch, 1998 Baentswatch, UNEP/GRID-Aendal, Philippe Rekacewicz, 1998

7 August THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES 7 continued fom page 6 of it may have migated to new locations, and the discovey made by Agip on the southen magin of the basin, just noth of Hammefest may be one such location. While the Nowegian secto may have faced an unfavouable geological histoy ove the last million yeas, this is not the case futhe east. The disputed aea between Russia and Noway has seveal pomising pospects including Centalnoye, and Seveo Kildinsky just east the mid-line. A thid gas discovey, Stockman, was fist announced to westen expets at a confeence in Hastad in The esouces epoted at 3,2 billion Sm3 o.e., led a westen expet to insist that the Russians had made a decimal eo, as this would be one of the lagest gas fields in the wold. Late, even lage discoveies have been poven in the Kaa futhe east. In spite this, thee has been a vey slow development of these esouces, due to bueaucatic ed tape; unknown consume base; ough climate; poblems with delivey, as well as the daunting cost of developing the extensive infastuctue equied. Futue development of the huge Stockman field and the modest sized Snøhvit gas field togethe with new exploation licences in the Russian Actic signal a possible gowth in the oil and gas development industy in the Baents. It may be time fo a stengthened cicumpola coopeation to develop a means of safe poduction and to develop mechanisms fo local job geneation. Fo futhe eading: Ræstad, Nils, 2002; Baents geology and politics (in Nowegian, oiginal title: Baentshavet - geologi og politik ), Geo (peiodical), No 2, Las Kulleud, Univesity of the Actic Nils Ræstad PGS, The UN issues an ealy waning about melting pemafost The United Nations Envionment Pogamme (UNEP) wans against the effects of global waming on pemafost, and ecommends conducting moe eseach into undestanding the effects. Conclusions fom such eseach should pepae the Actic population fo the danges ahead as well as danges they ae aleady facing. The pola aeas ae impotant in the climate debate, and the pemafost of Geenland and in Antactica even moe so. The ceation of deep-sea wate in the Noth Atlantic can affect sea cuents and have sevee climatic effects. The Intenational Panel fo Climate Change (IPCC) has pedicted that eath s mean tempeatue will incease between 1,4 5,8 degees Celsius in this centuy and the tempeatue in the Actic will most likely ise the most. Pemafost aeas will be educed Pemafost is a typical chaacteistic of the Actic and can be fom a few metes to one kilomete deep. Today s spead of pemafost in the nothen hemisphee is shown on the map. The pemafost in the nothen Sibeia and Noth Ameica is deep and continuous. Futhe south, pemafost is moe spead out and is mostly found on mountains as fa south as Siea Nevada in Spain. In southen Noway, the elevation limit fo pemafost on the highest mountains deceased by about 100 metes the last yeas. An equal eduction has been obseved in Alaska and in the Alps. Models developed by scientists fom IPCC show a possible eduction of up to 16 pe cent the next 50 yeas, especially in aeas with discontinuous pemafost. Damages to the infastuctue Pemafost Hudson Bay LABRADOR Isolated Spoadic Discontinuous Continuous CANADA BAFFIN ISLAND Alaska (United States) VICTORIA ISLAND PERMAFROST IN THE ARCTIC Baffin Bay BANKS ISLAND Thule GREENLAND Atlantic Ocean Beaufot Baow ELLESMERE ISLAND ISLANDE Being Chukchi Actic NORTH POLE Pacific Ocean Ocean East Sibeian SVALBARD (NORWAY) NORWAY The gound in aeas with pemafost is nomally suitable fo building, howeve scientists at the Univesity of Alaska have found a tempeatue incease in pemafost fom -4 to -1 degee Celsius. Such a wam-up educes the ability of the gound to suppot lage stuctues by 70 pe cent. In some stations like Faibanks, Alaska, a change has been egisteed since 1955, and in Nois and Yakutsk in Russia, moe than 500 tall buildings have been significantly damaged. Simila damages ae epoted on oads and pipe lines. Damages to infastuctue ae expected to incease in lieu with global waming. Eosion and the fequency of landslides ae expected to incease once the pemafost deceases and the active laye gets deepe. continued page 8 NEW SIBERIAN ISLANDS (RUSSIA) Nowegian Noth Anady SEVERNAYA ZEMLYA (RUSSIA) NOVAYA ZEMLYA (RUSSIA) SWEDEN Laptev Baents Mumansk Kaa FINLAND Okhostk TAIMYR PENINSULA KOLA PENINSULA Dickson RUSSIAN FEDERATION Intenational Pemafost Association, UNEP/GRID-Aendal, Philippe Rekacewicz, 2001 UNEP/GEO-3: THE WET REGULATOR OF GLOBAL TEMPERATURE The Actic seas ae impotant in egulating the global climate, as well as poviding geat potential fo oil and gas exploitation and fo futue tanspotation outes. Two times the suface of the Euopean continent, 20 million squae kilometes, is the size of the entie Actic maine envionment. The enomity of these seas means a lage shift of wates, which take pat in egulating the global climate. This is what the United Nations Envionment Pogamme (UNEP) s ecently eleased Global Envionment Outlook epot (GEO-3) states. Moe fesh wate is enteing the oceans because the Actic pack ice is melting. A decline of ove 40 pe cent has been measued fom the 1960s to 1990s. Ove 18 yeas, the ice season has lengthened in the westen hemisphee, most stongly in the westen Labado. Howeve, in the easten hemisphee, feeze-up is occuing late and thawing is occuing ealie, leaving lage aeas ice-fee fo seveal weeks. These lage wates also have consideable economic and stategic potential. Fo instance, shipping outes ae opening up along the Actic coast of Russia with a potential to diectly link Asia with Westen Euope. Thee ae vast oil and gas eseves along the continental shelves bodeing the Actic, as well as impotant mineal deposits. Oil and gas development is aleady undeway along the coast of Alaska and in the Baents, Kaa and Pechoa s. Moe sites ae planned and thee ae gowing concens about the potential distubances to the Actic ecology fom oil spills and loss of habitat. The Actic wates ae unde a potential isk of adioactive contamination fom ocean dumping of adioactive waste, which was common until the London Dumping Convention came into effect. Six nuclea submaine eactos have been sunk off the coast of Russia. To secue and potect the Actic seas, the Actic counties adopted a Regional Pogamme of Action fo Potection of the Actic Maine Envionment against Land-based Activities, among othe egulations. Given the cuent waming tend and inteest in esouce exploitation in the Actic, the expectation is that thee will be futhe exploitation of the Actic maine envionment and inceased competition fo stategic advantages. Fo futhe eading: GEO 3 PAME (1997) PAME (2001) pame.actic-council.og Labado C. SURFACE CURRENTS IN THE ARCTIC Atlantic cuents Othe cuents Alaska C. Noth Atlantic C. Beaufot Gye East Geenland C. Tanspola Dift 1 Noth Cape C. 1 : West Spitsbegen Cuent AMAP, UNEP/GRID-Aendal, Philippe Rekacewicz, 1997

8 8 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002 continued fom page 7 Dange to indigenous people and ecosystems Climate changes can affect the vegetation on the tunda. In Actic Russia alone, 200,000 indigenous people live patly as nomads, suviving by eindee heding. Eosion and changes to the landscape ae expected to have a negative effect on the taditional lifestyle of the indigenous people and theaten thei livelihoods. Speeding up the geenhouse effect Fo thousands of yeas the tunda has woked as a cabon sink, because dead vegetation does not ot but is stoed in the gound. Thinning of the pemafost allows mico-oganisms to beak down the biological mateial. In this pocess, methane and cabon dioxide ae eleased. In Alaska it is documented that the tunda has changed fom being a cabon stock to becoming a souce of cabon to the atmosphee. The cabon is mostly eleased as methane, because the otting pocess is happening in wet soil with little o no supply of oxygen. Wate gatheing on top of the pemafost will often lead to inceased melting, gound eosion, and canals and holes in the ice. Removal of the topsoil leads to futhe melting of pemafost. These pocesses contibute to the self-pepetuating mechanism of moe eleases of cabon dioxide and methane contibuting to the geenhouse gas effect. UNEP ecommends continuous suveillance of aeas with pemafost and the significant damages which the melting can do to infastuctue, ecology, indigenous people and to enhancing geenhouse effect. Fo futhe eading: The EU poject: Pemafost and Climate in Euope (PACE), The Actic Council, Actic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), Intenational Pemafost Association (IPA), IPCC, Special epot on The Regional Impacts of Climate Change, An assessment of Vulneability, Chapte 3: The Actic and the Antactic Pemafost maps: Las Kulleud, Diecto UActic, Svein Tveitdal, Managing Diecto UNEP/GRID-Aendal The UN Climate Panel on Pemafost Pemafost is sensitive to changes in tempeatue; By 2050 moe dispesed pemafost aeas ae expected; Aeas with a lot of pemafost ae expected to stay elatively stable because of the lage amounts of ice; A visible incease in the thickness of the active pemafost laye is expected; The esult of a eduction of pemafost caused by global waming is expected to lead to: - Inceased eosion and dange of landslides - Beak down of ice-ich landscapes - Damage to vegetation - Changes to ecosystems and animal life - Damage to buildings, oads and pipelines - Changes to agicultue - Changes to building methods - Additional emissions of geenhouse gases Change in pemafost tempeatues at vaious depths in Faibanks (Alaska) Mean annual tempeatue C Soil depth (in mete) 0,12 m 0,52 m 1,01 m 0,12 m 0,52 m 1,01 m Vital Gaphics on Climate Change, UNEP/GRID-Aendal, Philippe Rekacewicz, 2000 UNEP/GEO-3: POLAR BEARS AND SEALS SUFFER IN WARMER TEMPERATURES Hunting inged seal, the pefeed diet fo pola beas, has become a lot moe difficult ove the past decades fo the lage white bea. With wame tempeatues in the Actic, the ice, whee the inged seal feed and give bith, melts ealie. When the pola beas come out of winte hibenation in ealy sping the ice may aleady be gone and so ae the seals. The pola bea is left staving in a peiod when it should build up its body fat fo the coming bithing peiod. This is just one example of how the geneal incease in global tempeatues have an immense effect on the Actic envionment, as descibed in the ecently eleased United Nations Envionment Pogamme (UNEP) s Global Envionment Outlook epot (GEO3). Measuements fom 1979 to 1997 indicate an incease of 1 Celcius pe decade in the easten Actic and a decease of 1 Celcius in the westen Actic. At the same time the potective statospheic ozone laye has thinned. Thee have been spoadic episodes of sevee statospheic ozone depletion ove the past 30 yeas and a 7.5 pe cent decease in Actic ozone between the 1970s and 1990s. Fo each 1 pe cent decease in statospheic ozone, thee is about a 1 to 2 pe cent incease in ultaviolet adiation. The impacts ae seious and can affect the entie food chain of the Actic. Fo example, educed ozone potection damages phytoplankton and othe micobial oganisms that powe the life systems of the Actic. The wame tempeatues also educe the snow and ice cove. This, togethe with inceased levels of pollutants on the land suface, educe the amount of eflection of sunlight adding to the oveall waming effect. The changes ae a stak eminde of the inteconnectedness between the eath s suface, its wate masses and its atmospheic systems. Polluting human activities both in and outside the Actic accoding to scientists contibutes to most of these changes. Most Actic states embace the Kyoto Potocol and othe climate change instuments with the exception of the withdawal of the USA. Fo futhe eading: GEO-3 AMAP (1977) Actic Pollution Issues: A State of the Actic Envionment Repot nsidc.og/acticmet/basics/pime_ souces.html CAFF (1994) The State of Potected Aeas in the Cicumpola Actic agdc.usgs.gov/caff/caff_maps.html Actic Ice: A Vanishing Kingdom The Integovenmental Panel on Climate Change has confimed that human-induced climate change is a eality. It can no longe be dismissed as a theoetical, academic, concept no a politically motivated doomsday pophecy. The Actic is one of the egions on eath whee climate change will be seen ealy, and most damatically. Actic indigenous communities ae aleady noticing some of these changes: wame wintes, ealy sping beakup, and thinne than usual ice. This taditional knowledge echoes the scientific evidence: Ai tempeatues in the Actic have on aveage inceased by about 5 C ove the last 100 yeas. Actic sea ice extent deceased by appoximately 3 pe cent pe decade between 1978 and The esults of climate modeling of vay in detail, but all show a clea tend towads an oveall waming in the Actic, and a esulting melting of the sea ice. The models suggest that by 2080, actic sea ice will completely disappea duing the summe months. These ae damatic and apid changes in an ecosystem defined by being fozen. A slight shift in tempeatue, binging aveages above feezing, will completely alte the chaacte of this egion, fom one of ice coveing the seas and pemafost stabilizing the gound, to one of open wate and lage tacts of land simply melted away. The consequences fo humans and animal species, such pola beas, that ae adapted to the cuent Actic ecosystem, will be sevee. New infomation indicates the geatest futue challenges to the consevation of pola beas may be ecological change in the Actic as a esult of climate change (Pola Bea Specialist Goup, 2001). In the southen ange of pola beas, fo example the Hudson and James Bays of Canada, sea ice is aleady melting ealie in the sping and foming late in the autumn. The time beas have on the ice, stoing up enegy fo the summe and autumn when thee is little available food, is becoming shote. As the peiods without food ae extended, the oveall body condition of these beas decline. This is paticulaly seious fo pegnant o nusing females, and young cubs. In Hudson Bay, scientists have found the main cause of death fo cubs to be eithe an absence of food o lack of fat on nusing mothes. Fo evey week ealie that beak-up occus in the Hudson Bay, beas will come ashoe oughly 10kg lighte and thus in pooe condition. With epoductive success tied closely to body condition, if tempeatues continue to ise in esponse to inceases in geenhouse gas emissions and the sea ice melts fo longe peiods, pola bea numbes will be continued page Thinning of the Actic sea ice cove Metes Ice Thickness of the ice fo the peiod Ice - 1,3 mete volume down by 40% All egions togethe Thickness of the ice fo the peiod Vital Gaphics on Climate Change, UNEP/GRID-Aendal, P. Rekacewicz, 2000