Climate Change and Arctic scientifi c, social, cultural and Sustainable Development educational challenges Climate Change and Arctic Sustainable Development scientific, social, cultural and educational challenges This book should be cited as: UNESCO. 2009. Climate Change and Arctic Sustainable Development: scientific, social, cultural and educational challenges. UNESCO: Paris, 376 pp. This UNESCO publication is a collaborative effort of the: Natural Sciences Sector (SC) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS) Culture Sector (CLT) and the World Heritage Centre (WHC) Education Sector (ED) Coordinator Douglas Nakashima, Chief, Small Islands and Indigenous Knowledge Section, SC Intersectoral Team Keith Alverson, Chief, Ocean Observations and Services Section, IOC Fernando Brugman, Section of Intangible Cultural Heritage, CLT Bernard Combes, Education for Sustainable Development Coordination Section, ED John Crowley, Chief, Ethics of Science and Technology Section, SHS Peter Dogsé, Ecological Sciences and Biodiversity Section, SC Cécile Duvelle, Chief, Section of Intangible Cultural Heritage, CLT Tom Gross, Ocean Observations and Services Section, IOC Mechtild Rössler, Chief, Europe and North America Section, WHC Editor Peter Bates, Small Islands and Indigenous Knowledge Section, SC Project Support Team (Small Islands and Indigenous Knowledge Section, SC) Julia Cheftel, Stéphanie Ledauphin, Kremena Nikolova, Donara Sydeeva Ernestine Ngondji, Administrative Office, SC Design & Production Stéphane Rébillon – www.stephanerebillon.com Cover images © Joel Simon/Getty Published in 2009 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 73752 Paris 07 SP, France © UNESCO 2009 All rights reserved ISBN 978-92-3-104139-6 The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delineation of its frontiers or boundaries. The authors are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this text and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. For further information, please contact: Douglas Nakashima Small Islands and Indigenous Knowledge Section UNESCO – 1, rue Miollis, 75732 Paris Cedex 15 France Email: [email protected] With thanks to the Principality of Monaco for their support and guidance CLIMATE CHANGE AND arctic SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOREWORDS Foreword by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco During a recent expedition to Antarctica I visited the scientists working there, to see their facilities, discover their living conditions and testify to the importance of their task. This experience, witnessing the dedication of these polar scientists, confi rmed for me that in the last few years we have witnessed a revolution: for centuries humans have spent a large part of their energy plundering the Earth’s resources and destroying the natural environment, heedless of the consequences of their actions. This trend is in the process of being reversed. Even despite the fi nancial crisis that is shaking our world, the growing environmental concern has not waned. On the contrary, people’s minds have opened up to a new awareness and connection with the environment, including the distant polar regions. Such attention can be explained in part by the International Polar Year, with its intense global agenda on climatic issues. Of course, the destructive power of modern technologies makes the damage already incurred all the more diffi cult to control and repair. We are only at the beginning of a very long process, and we cannot predict if it will achieve the lofty ambitions we all share. Today, however, we do know the world can change, and this gives us reason for hope and the motivation to press forward. Moving ahead now means broadening the spectrum of our concerns to include what may have seemed forgotten in mobilisation for the environment: people. We must put them back at the centre of the debate, never forgetting that the major issue has always been and will always be humankind. In the case of the Arctic this means attention to the many human processes originating from both inside and outside of the Arctic that impact on the region. It also requires attention to the peoples who stand to be most affected by changes wrought in the Arctic: its indigenous inhabitants. For these reasons I was proud to support and participate in the international meeting organised by UNESCO on ‘Climate Change and Arctic Sustainable Development’ which took place in Monaco in March 2009. The true signifi cance of this meeting, as I see it, was the building of sustainable development thanks to science, whilst focusing on collective action that is social, cultural and educational. This publication represents just one facet of the diverse outcomes from this meeting. HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco IV V CLIMATE CHANGE AND arctic SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOREWORDS Foreword by the UNESCO Director-General For many of us climate change remains a distant future hazard. In the Arctic, however, climate change is very much a reality. Its impacts are already being seen in the phys- ical environment and biological systems of the region, and are experienced directly by the region’s many human inhabitants. The United Nations Secretary-General has labelled climate change as the ‘defining issue of our era’. Understanding and responding to an issue as momentous as global climate change is a challenge that requires the unified efforts of local communities, scientists, governments and national and international organisations from across the globe. To understand climate change, we must move beyond assessing causes and monitoring impacts and trends. Major change in the world’s climate is already an unavoidable reality. Adaptation and response are therefore essential, even though they remain as yet largely unexplored. The develop- ment of appropriate adaptation and response strategies has therefore emerged as a central preoccupation of all actors, including the UN System. Adaptation requires a broad interdisciplinary response. This must be rooted firmly in the knowledge base of Earth-system processes and climate science, and consider impacts on the biological systems that sustain life on the planet. But more than anything else, adaptation relates to the ability of different societies to respond to the challenges put before them by climate change, meaning that social, economic and cultural considerations must be addressed. As a UN specialised agency, UNESCO is uniquely placed to address the challenge of adaptation, in that the Organization brings together the natural sciences, social sciences, culture, education and envi- ronmental ethics and can therefore respond to climate change in an interdisciplinary manner. UNESCO, together with the World Meteorological Organization, has also been charged with the role of convenor for United Nations agencies active in the cross- cutting climate change area of science, assessment, monitoring and early warning. UNESCO was pleased to have had the opportunity to organise a meeting on ‘Climate Change and Arctic Sustainable Development: scientific, social, cultural and educational challenges’ in Monaco, 3-6 March 2009. I offer my sincere thanks to His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco for the leadership and vision expressed by his support for this event. The expert meeting brought together 42 participants from 13 countries, including all Arctic states and Greenland. Participants were experts in the fields of the natural and social sciences, indigenous issues, education, ethics, law, health and international affairs. The papers arising from the interdisciplinary discussions in Monaco are presented here, offering a crucial contribution to efforts to address the full range of issues necessary to attain Arctic sustainable development in the face of climate change. Koïchiro Matsuura IV UNESCO Director-General V CLIMATE CHANGE AND arctic SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 154 Contents 156 164 174 FOREWORDS IV OPENING MESSAGES VIII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS XVII 186 INTRODUCTION 1 188 195 206 SECTION 1: ICE, OCEANS AND AtMOSPHERE 6 212 Julienne C. Stroeve | Overview of Changes in Arctic Sea Ice Cover 8 Duane Smith | The Sea Ice is Our Highway: The Importance of Sea Ice to the Inuit Way of Life 17 223 Jean-Claude Gascard | What Have We Found in the Polar Oceans During the International Polar Year? 26 Barry Goodison | Cryosphere and Climate: The Arctic Challenge 35 232 Lene Kielsen Holm | Siku-Inuit Hila – ‘The Dynamics of Human-Sea Ice Relationships: Comparing Changing Environments in Alaska, Nunavut and Greenland’ 45 234 Takashi Yamanouchi | Arctic Change in the Flow of Global Warming: 240 Need for Long-Term Monitoring Observations 53 247 SECTION 2: BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES 62 Michael J. Gill, Christoph Zöckler and Risa B. Smith | Coordinating for Arctic Conservation: 256 Towards Integrated Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring, Data Management and Reporting 64 258 Henry P. Huntington | Connections Between Arctic Peoples and Their Environment 73 267 Tatiana Minayeva and Andrey Sirin | Wetlands - Threatened Arctic Ecosystems: 278 Vulnerability to Climate Change and Adaptation Options 80 Gunn-Britt Retter | Norwegian Fisheries and Adaptation to Climate Change 88 284 Aevar Petersen