The Uniqueness of the Arctic More Difficulties Surviving by Traditional Methods

G R I D The Arctic A r e n d a l UNEP

Environment Times 2 Euros No 1 - First edition - 16 Pages, AUGUST 2002 A publication by UNEP/GRID -Arendal

SUMMARY Piping-up the valley The Mackenzie Valley in Canada is facing a natural gas pipeline development through huge regions of untouched wilderness. With some local opposition the two authors question if the pipeline can be done without causing serious damage to the environment. Page 3 Larger human footprints Human infrastructure now covers more than 15 per cent of the Arctic and in 50 years mining, harbours, roads and tourism will affect more than half of the Arctic. Read about the consequences to Arctic nature. eco-tourists Page 4 kayaking in Kangerdlussuaq/ Fewer mega Inglefield Fjord in NW Greenland.

ice cubes idstrand/Naturbild

The Arctic ice is W melting caused by

globally warmer Staffan temperatures. Polar bears and seals suffer and indigenous people of the North will have The uniqueness of the Arctic more difficulties surviving by traditional methods. Climate The Arctic has always gripped our The Arctic still fascinates, even though change is changing the imagination. The early explorers who we now know that the interior of Arctic as well. came back from their journeys told the Greenland is a massive ice cap and Page 7-9 world about a barren land with ice, there is only drifting sea ice on the Four different snow and darkness where they had to North Pole. Ice-going vessels are now fight to survive. able to penetrate the Arctic seaways futures most of the year and tourist expeditions A sustainable future or heir ships were often crushed from to the North Pole are regular (if expen- a future where security the force of the drifting ice; men sive) features. Now there is no and market is first? In Tdied of starvation or scurvy, or for unknown land to discover and map, four articles the Global lack of equipment and clothing to pro- what is so special about the Arctic, Environment Outlook tect them from the biting cold. other than its impressive scenery and report’s four scenarios stunning beauty? for the future of the But could also tell of meetings with

Arctic is explored. friendly people who had adapted to life The Arctic is of great interest to biolo- Alexander y Page 13-15 in these harsh conditions, and who gists. It has only about 10% of the plant Lomborg, often helped them to survive. They and animal species found in temperate Cherr

copied the Inuit’s fur clothes and their regions, and a fraction of those in the and May, Martin simple, ingenious modes of transport, tropics. But the few species that live in yan and Stenlund such as the kayak and the dog-sledge – the Arctic are extraordinarily well adapt- Br things that are still used. ed to life under marginal conditions. A young Nenets woman herds reindeer past an industrial complex on traditional Nenets Four internationally land on Yamal peninsula, Russia. renowned The growing season for plants is very environmental experts Their diaries described a world of rein- sun as it moves across insulation against cold. Seals that bask are giving their deer, seabirds, seals, walrus, whales – Thick blubber and greenhouse- the sky each day, using on the sea ice or dive in ice-cold water predictions and and encouraged new expeditions to like fur and skin system all available sunlight. do not feel the cold. The reindeer’s thick thoughts on the future exploit these riches of the High North. allow polar bears to stroll Other plants grow in blubber layer is often combined with a of the Arctic Myths flourished then. Stories were told small balls where the long and dense fur that is an equally environment. that the interior of Greenland was warm around on the ice in biting cold. little heat from the sun effective insulator. Polar bears have thick Page 13-15 and lush, that there was an unknown, is concentrated, in the blubber and dense fur too. The white fur unexploited continent at the North Pole. short – and there is often no more than middle where the roots are. Some plants of these magnificent carnivores is almost Read also what the Early explorers wanted to open a sea a few weeks to grow and set seeds. Little require two or more summers to set transparent, so that sunlight can travel Global Environment route from the North Atlantic Ocean to energy is wasted on unnecessary seeds. through the fur. But the skin is black, Outlook Report states on the Bering Strait, the so-called North growth, so stems are short and tough. and so particularly effective in absorbing issues like biodiversity, West Passage. Other attempts were Some plants, such as the Arctic poppy, Animals are also well adapted to the the heat from the sun. The combination indigenous people, made to sail the North East Passage have adapted remarkably. Its white and cold. Reindeer, seals and polar bears of thick blubber and a greenhouse-like climate change and from Europe along the Siberian coast to yellow flower forms a parabola that col- have thick layers of blubber under their fur and skin system allows polar bears to pollution. Asia. lects the sunlight in the centre where the skin that serves two main purposes. Five stroll on the ice in biting cold. The polar seeds are formed. Its flower faces the to ten centimetres of fat are very effective bear’s problem ••• continued page 2 2 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002

continued from page 1••• comes during that nourish plankton, that in turn is food for “The Arctic region is a global indicator of the impacts summer when it may get overheated and fish, seabirds, seals and whales. When the has to take to the sea to cool off. ice recedes in spring, the exposed, nutri- of pollution and climate change for the whole world” tious seawater is exposed to 24 hours of Arctic Council at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, August 2002. Blubber is not just an effective insulator sunlight that leads to sudden, intense against cold. It is also an important reserve marine production. This, combined with for nutrition and survival, not least for rein- upwelling of nutrients from the seafloor, are deer, who have little access to grazing dur- the main reasons why northern seas such THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE ARCTIC ing winter, and for polar bears, who must as the Bering Sea and the Barents Sea are often live for weeks and even months with- such important commercial fishing out seals, their main prey. The blubber grounds. plays a particularly important role for den- ds P a c i f i c ning females. A pregnant bear comes Though there are few plant and animal lan Is O c e a n ashore in late autumn to dig a den in the species in the Arctic, some of them can tian Kamchatka leu snow. There she gives birth to two very appear in impressive numbers. Some A Amur

small cubs around Christmas. The births flowers cover the ground as huge red, Koryaks Okhotsk

Y Bering

u Sea k Sea Mts.

are premature, as the cubs are naked and yellow and white carpets during o

e R g

i blind with a weight around 250 grams. The summertime. Reindeer roam n v Kolyma a e R r Mts. female bear stays in the den for six months, around in herds that can reach ka las ALASKA Bering A Strait without anything to eat. When the cubs thousands of heads, and (USA) r e Alda lyma Rive g n Ko d nge i emerge from the den in March or April, some seabird colonies have R a Chukchi R ains s i y Mount k Sea y ock o k

each of them has gained 10 kilos. How is it tens of thousands, some- R o rs L

Mackenzie r e e en

Mountains B East h g a C d Ri possible for their mother to survive for so times even millions of Siberian i ve R r k M r Sea s long without food and to raise two cubs that inhabitants. But this ackenzie Rive an Great Slave hoy Lake erk have drained 20 kilos from her body? The richness is also a rea- New V Lake Siberian Lena River answer is that the bear’s fat is transformed son for environmental Islands Athabasca Great Bear Lake Lake Canada to rich, nourishing milk for her offspring, concern. The ice-edge Banks Basin Laptev Baikal CANADA A r c t i c Sea and she has no need to draw protein from and between the Island O c e a n Victoria C e n t r a l her muscles. When the female bear leaves floes, where marine Island Ta ym Makarov ir S i b e r i a n Lake P en Basin in U p l a n d Winnipeg s u l North a Arctic species can often Amundsen Land Alpha Ridge Basin ey demonstrate a remarkable ability Yenis R iver Hudson Ellesmere enisey Y O to adapt as living conditions Bay Island b R RUSSIA ive Lomonosov Ridge Nansen er r Foxe Kara iv Basin Basin Franz R change. James Sea b Josef O Bay Nansen Gakkel Ridge Land W e s t Baffin Island S i b e r i a n er Novaya Riv the den and heads for the sea ice with her life is so rich, are also P l a i n Irtysh Fram Zemlya Ob Baffin Riv cubs she is lean and her fat reserves are the places where oil Strait Svalbard er I Bay rtys GREENLAND h L a b r a d o r Spitsbergen R small. But she is still strong and fast, able spills get trapped and ive Davis (Denmark) Barents r Strait M to hunt seals for herself and her cubs. stay because it is so diffi- Lake Bear Island Sea t Saint Jean s . Greenland U cult to clean them up. Ka Sea m r a a l s Arctic ecosystems are commonly seen as Kola Ri v Peninsula e Jan Mayen r particularly vulnerable because their On the flat tundra, per- White Sea North species are few. Tropical ecosystems are mafrost prevents pollutants Dvina iver Lake a R lg considered more robust because of their from sinking into the Onega o ICELAND Norwegian V 1997 FINLAND species richness. This is only partly true; ground. Hazardous sub- Sea Lake

Ladoga V though plants and animals in the tropics are stances remain in ponds Gulf of ol Faeroe Islands Bothnia g highly specialized, Arctic species can often and wetlands important to A t l a n t i c a NORWAY

O c e a n ekacewicz,

demonstrate a remarkable ability to adapt water birds and reindeer, R Zap. Dvina SWEDEN as living conditions change. and low temperatures slow Baltic Sea down their deterioration. North Sea The Svalbard archipelago is a good exam- This has far-reaching eco- Philippe ple. There are no indigenous lemmings or logical effects that are often R hei other small rodents on the islands. Hence, more serious than in more n falcons, owls and other birds of prey are temperate regions. Vehicles also absent. The large glaucous gull has can tear up the thin active taken on their role, and lives on chicks from layer above the permafrost, - 5 000 - 3 000 - 2 000 - 1 000 - 500 - 100 0 50 100 200 300 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 3 000 4 000 eiders and seabirds – it is even able to catch exposing the frozen ground UNEP/GRID-Arendal, the small, fast flying auk in the air. Because to melting. Because re- lemmings and other rodents are absent, the growth is so slow in the arctic fox, too, has to turn to other little prey. Arctic, water and thawing can easily trans- In Svalbard, the fox hunts ducks and form a vehicle track to a flowing river in a UNEP/GEO-3: CONFLICT OVER USE OF LAND waders on their nests and has become a very short time. scavenger that collects dead birds under Extending 14 million square kilometres, twice The permafrost melts more easily with warmer bird cliffs. It builds depots for the winter and The Arctic provides opportunities for our the size of Australia, the Arctic lands are rich in temperatures and exacerbates an already wide- it follows the polar bear on its seal hunt onto modern world – but challenges too. What resources with large potential for oil and gas spread and increasing amount of erosion. In the ice during wintertime. Arctic foxes can can we do about it? There are some things drilling in particular. This is what the recently recent years approximately 70 million ha of tun- often travel miles away from any shore. Fox that everyone should agree upon. released United Nations Environment dra has been degraded through destruction of tracks have been observed on the middle of Indigenous people have made a living in the Programme (UNEP)’s Global Environment soil and vegetative cover resulting from prospect- the sea ice between Greenland and High North for hundreds, sometimes thou- Outlook report (GEO3) states. ing, mineral development, cars, construction Svalbard. sands of years. They have developed and, at certain location, overgrazing by reindeer. unique lifestyles in harmony with the land Not only have the Arctic states lately become a There are also unique ecological adapta- and the sea. But these societies are now popular travel destination increasing tourism Arctic governments have taken action to protect tions in the Arctic’s marine environment. threatened. Indigenous peoples’ cultures and a growing concern that tourists will put about 15 per cent of their land. However, that Scientists have found that algae can grow and rights need to be respected, but should extra pressures on wildlife, water and other figure is misleading because nearly 50 per cent profusely under the sea ice, thereby estab- also be brought into line with the modern basic necessities. But the possibilities of of the protected areas are classified as Arctic lishing an upside-down sea-bottom system worlds’ political agenda. This include their exploitation of the huge deposits of oil, gas and desert or glacier. These highly protected areas right to find their own way to the modern minerals in the Arctic put serious pressures on are also the least productive part of the Arctic. world. There is a need to expand our knowl- the land. In Greenland most of the protected area is ice FACTS edge of the Arctic’s ecosystems so that we cap. Arctic land comprises of: are better able to manage its riches. There The Arctic land consists of three main sub-sys- is also a need to enhance our awareness of tems, the high polar desert, the tundra and the For further reading: • Polar desert: bare soils and rocks the Arctic. And finally, we must foster polit- forest-tundra. Under most of this land is a layer GEO-3 www.grida.no/geo with spares plant communities; ical mechanisms and international agree- of permafrost, which is defined as ground that AMAP (1997) Arctic Pollution Issues: ments and instruments to secure the proper remains frozen for at least two summers in a A State of the Arctic Environment Report • The Tundra: vast, open plain management and conservation of this very row. This layer can reach depths of 1500 www.arcticpeoples.org/ with continuous plant cover; important part of our planet. meters. When the upper level melts in the working-groups/various_reports.htm • The forest-tundra: patches of spring, the melt-water cannot sink below the CAFF (2002) continuous forest interspersed Thor S. Larsen remaining permafrost and flows rapidly over the www.arctic-council.org/pmeetings/oulu02/ with tundra-like open areas. UNEP/GRID-Arendal frozen surface into streams and rivers. sao_docs/11_2_1_caffreport.pdf www.grida.no August 2002 - THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES 3

EDITORIAL Mackenzie Valley: balancing Save Nivlheim

he Nordic Vikings had a name for the remote, out- nature, culture and natural gas Termost and inaccessible part of their world. They called it Nivlheim. This was a cold, barren and harsh land, with snow and ice all year round, and with complete darkness and howling winds – a place where no man could survive. The Vikings’ mythical Nivlheim could well have been based upon the Arctic as it was thought to be at that time.

We now know of a different Arctic, with beautiful landscapes, massive glaciers pouring into ice-covered seas, tundras covered in carpets of many-coloured flowers, seabirds in their thousands breeding in cliffs that line the shores. Reindeer move in hundreds, seals bask in the sun and polar bears stroll over the drifting ice. The Arctic is one of the world’s few remaining areas of pristine wilderness.

In the Global Environment Outlook 3 (GEO3) report, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has sketched a picture of the Arctic today. The region is changing fast and the Arctic sections of the GEO 3 report Ltd. tell this story.

Lines Indigenous people, who are adapted to the Arctic environ- ipe

P ment and who have maintained their traditional lifestyles for centuries, are now seriously affected by our modern world and have to adapt to our way of living and to our oothills The Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline will be the largest development project ever attempted in the circum-Arctic. F use of resources.

A Mackenzie Valley natural gas new development will undoubtedly have to-date. In the Mackenzie Valley, most We have reason to be concerned that over-fishing is pipeline is looking increasingly likely – huge social, economic, cultural and envi- natural regions contain no protected depleting Arctic fish stocks so that important fisheries will but will Canada ensure that this mega- ronmental impacts across the entire areas – in Alaska the coverage of pro- soon not be sustainable. In addition we have become development project, affecting huge region, affecting areas well beyond the tected areas is far better, and includes aware of the consequences of the massive influx of pollu- regions of unfragmented wilderness, relatively narrow corridor selected for the the areas adjacent to the trans-Alaskan tants to the area, often brought by winds from the south balances natural and cultural values? main gas pipeline. oil pipeline (see map). to marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Pollutants in fish, seals and reindeer affect local people’s health. WF, the conservation organisa- Local Aboriginal organizations are now Canada embraced the attitude of devel- tion, believes it can and will, generally supportive of the mega-project, oping natural resources in the Arctic in a Modern technology allows us to exploit the Arctic’s gas Wand is working in partnership unlike previous attempts, which were sensitive way with “environmental pro- and oil reserves as never before, but blow-outs and mas- with the indigenous peoples organisa- postponed until Aboriginal land claims tection” as a top priority. As a key player sive oil spills may have dire ecological consequences: we tions, First Nations, industry, and gov- were settled and measures put in place in the eight-nation Arctic Environmental lack the technology to deal with these in ice-covered ernments to ensure the simultaneous to protect natural and cultural values. Protection Strategy (AEPS) – now the waters. Changing climate and weather patterns will also completion of a network of ecologically Today, three of the four Aboriginal land Arctic Council – Canada also committed affect us. The sea ice is getting thinner and the borders and culturally representative protected claims have been settled along the NWT itself to the ongoing Circumpolar between the drift ice and open seas retreat northwards areas in the affected natural regions. portion of the potential pipeline route. Protected Areas Network (CPAN) initia- every year. Ocean currents may change their course, or Those groups (the Inuvialuit, Gwich’in tive, to complete a representative net- even cease to flow as before. The impact of all this on the The Mackenzie is one of the world’s great and Sahtu) have signed a joint pipeline work of protected natural habitats to help rest of the world will be severe. rivers – in good company with the Nile, venture with the major group of balance future resource development Congo, Yangtse, Lena, Indus, Rhine and Mackenzie operators – Imperial Oil with the conservation of nature and cul- Today 85% of the Arctic is pristine wilderness, but our Amazon. But it is now almost unique in Resources, Conoco Phillips, Shell ture. scenarios show that if development is left to market forces its natural state – no dams, diversions or Canada, and Exxon Mobil Canada. The only, this might be reduced to less than 30% by the mid- major developments along its full course Deh Cho First Nations in the western Although there is a recognized need to dle of the century due to development of infrastructure, and valley. It also provides the largest NWT are still negotiating for Treaty consider cumulative impacts of these exploration of oil and gas, mining, logging and tourism. single source of freshwater and nutrients Rights and Self-Government developments, there is still a huge Our modern world depends on the Arctic's resources, and to the Arctic Ocean. The Mackenzie Agreements. degree of uncertainty about this, as exist- dedicated and strong decision-making is needed to make Valley’s biophysical features are ing and subsequent developments will the Arctic development sustainable. undoubtedly of global significance, and Governments and the Canadian public also impact the same areas and cultures. will be major considerations as develop- also seek developments of this kind, for This is precisely why there must be a We shall not give in to gloom: as the GEO3 report shows, ment plans and assessments proceed for a secure energy supply, jobs, and rev- broad, landscape-level approach, reserv- this is an immediate challenge to us all. We must address the new energy corridor between the enue, though conservation of cultural ing a network of ecologically and cultur- the importance of the Arctic and its climate and people; Mackenzie Delta north of Inuvik through and natural values are also top priorities ally representative protected areas almost and recognise scientists’ discoveries, consider their recom- the Northwest Territories (NWT) to exist- in this huge nation of relatively pristine as an insurance policy, safeguarding mendations and do something about them. We must ing gas pipeline networks in northern natural areas, where many northern samples of the natural northern world, respect indigenous people’s traditions, needs and rights. Alberta, 1,350km away (see map). communities still depend on hunting and which will also serve as crucial bench- International agreements and conventions provide us with trapping of wildlife for their livelihoods mark reference areas, against which to the mechanisms we need. Politicians can give the march- Whether or not the Mackenzie natural and cultural identity. assess development impacts. ing orders and decision-makers in national and interna- gas reserves (an estimated 0.17 billion tional institutions can set things in motion. But we must Sm3 o.e) are hooked-up with gas piped Canada was the first industrialized Many remain fundamentally opposed to not wait. We must act now if we are to save Nivlheim. from northern Alaska (estimated to be at nation to sign the Biodiversity the very notion of creating major indus- least an order of magnitude larger than Convention (1992), which spawned trial corridors through what remains of Dr. Klaus Töpfer the Mackenzie reserves), this will be the widespread adoption of the principles of the world’s wilderness areas. Citizens, largest development project financially “sustainable development” as a core tar- including northerners, are still very nerv- Global Environment Outlook 3 ever attempted in the circum-Arctic (with get and policy for decision-making. In ous about the long-term impacts of such This report describes the state of global an estimated $US 3-4 billion price tag), the same year federal, provincial and ter- mega-development on their culture, their environ-mental conditions, trends, and policy responses over the past 30 years; and will result in the world’s longest ritorial governments signed Canada’s Tri- economy, their environment and the eva-luates human vulnerability to environmental change; and presents future visions pipeline. Of course, this new energy cor- Council commitment to complete the wildlife that have sustained them for of the environment and options for action ridor will foster other industrial develop- network of protected areas in the 486 thousands of years, not to mention the for the next 30 years. ments across the adjacent landscape – natural terrestrial regions of Canada by climatic change and its striking impacts, A UNEP-Earthscan publication oil and gas, mining, forestry, hydro ven- 2000. However, less than 1/3 of these which are now especially evident in the www.grida.no/geo/geo3/index.htm tures, increased road access, etc. All this natural regions are adequately protected Arctic! ••• continued page 4 4 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002

continued from page 3••• Substantial investment is needed in the regulatory system, and in region- Human footprints growing bigger al planning to prescribe appropriate land and resource use. Public and government statements and commit- Speedy industrialisation in the northern More than 200 conclusions from scientific studies metres away. Larger predators, such as wolf and ments reflect the need and philoso- wilderness areas poses a threat to animals, the around the world are the foundation of GLOBIO. bear, are affected when the nearest road is closer phy behind this common sense “bal- environment and indigenous people. More than These studies show how human activity affects than two kilometres away. Most birds only have to anced approach”. Not surprisingly, 15 per cent of the Arctic is currently affected the environment. As more of the remaining be one kilometre away from a road to feel its neg- the oil and gas industry and by human infrastructure. wilderness areas decrease in size and number, ative impact. Shrinking and fragmented pastures investors also seek this approach, many species will be concentrated in these areas, results in over-grazing which leads to erosion and which minimizes the likelihood of f this level of development continues, more which will increase the pressure on ecosystems; affects animals reproduction abilities. Predators developmental delays, resulting in than half of the Arctic will be affected by min- webs of life that animals depend on for food, and prey animals may be forced to live closer to fewer costly battles in the courts or Iing, oil and gas drilling, harbours, roads, water and shelter. each other. out on the tundra. tourism and other service activities by 2050. These calculations have been done in the United GLOBIO is building on infrastructure as an indica- There will be losers but also winners in the Arctic With this solid philosophy and uni- Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) report tor for human intervention. Roads, railways and wildlife in the future. A number of animals will versally accepted principle of bal- Global Methodology for Mapping Human Impacts pipelines are all signs of industrialisation. When take advantage of the fact that other species are anced development, the major on the Biosphere (GLOBIO). these transportation gateways are established, a disappearing. In 2050, the Arctic will have less stakeholders are now conducting more uncontrollable development follows, such as migratory birds and mammals like the polar fox feasibility studies and initial socio- The report provides a new method of easily sum- increased immigration and larger cities. All those and the reindeer, but more gulls and red foxes. economic, engineering and environ- ming up the total human impact on nature. In factors increase deforestation, overgrazing, water When humans interfere in the delicate ecological mental assessments of specific route many countries, calculating environmental conse- pollution, social conflicts, erosion and fragmenta- balance in the Arctic, opportunistic species may options, prior to filing a formal devel- quences from e.g. water power plants and roads tion of wilderness areas. play more pronounced roles. More specialised opment application in the next year are subject to regulations. However, the total animal species will be reduced in numbers that or so. GIS-based mapping of all effects of such development projects have never Animal life approach extinction. existing biophysical and natural been properly calculated. GLOBIO provides a new resource information is required to and relatively easy method to do so. The methods Most animals try to avoid human-built infrastruc- Vegetation and flora identify priority areas, and then close used in the GLOBIO report were developed by the ture. More than 100 studies of Arctic animal collaboration with the communities Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management species show that some animals will have prob- Power and pipelines have limited short-term affect to confirm and update these data is (NINA) and UNEP/GRID-Arendal, together with a lems in the wake of industrialisation. Reindeer on the Arctic vegetation. Changes in snow cover needed. WWF is currently conduct- number of international scientists. herds may be influenced by roads up to five kilo- and smaller disturbances in the soil can normally ing this work within the existing NWT Protected Areas Strategy (PAS) partnership of Aborginal communities, industry and governments and environmental organizations. The resulting maps and data will be made widely available. This information will then be used in the PAS to help identify and reserve an ade- quate network of culturally and ecologically important areas for legal protection while finalizing and approving the pipeline route and its associated infrastructure.

This large-scale, high-profile and timely opportunity will position Canada as a lead nation in environmental and cultural protection, showcasing a major commitment to a truly balanced, “sustainable” approach. All the players involved hope and expect that Canada will seize this opportunity. Centre

Peter Ewins Director Arctic Conservation

William Carpenter Environmental Regional Conservation Director NWT, WWF-Canada www.wwf.ca /Svanhovd edersen P aga V agnar The Arctic region has R Fishing station in Lofoten in Northern Norway. lower life GEO-3 REPORT: LESS FISH IN THE SEA expectancy The Arctic oceans and seas host a rich and But there are growing pressures to the Arctic recovery has been slow and not a certainty. and higher diverse marine and freshwater fish species, fisheries, according to the recently released Other populations such as the haddock stocks with around 150 species of fish in the Barents, United Nations Environment programme in the waters between northern Norway and mortality rates, White and Kara Seas comprised of large num- (UNEP)s Global Environment Outlook report, Svalbard have seen a gradual but steady bers of cod, herring, capelin, and salmon. called the GEO3. decline. The Icelandic fishing ban on Atlantic There are as many species in the Bering and herring between 1972 and 1975 made a dif- including higher infant Chukchi system, which also includes the heav- Over fishing is a serious problem. Since the ference, with stocks gradually recovering and mortality rates, than ily exploited pollock. In fact the Barents and 1950s, there have been some spectacular now considered to be within safe biological national averages of its the Bering systems are two of the most com- crashes of populations of commercially impor- limits. mercially productive fisheries in the world. The tant species such as the cod and Atlantic constituent countries. Bering Sea accounting for 2 to 5 per cent of salmon off the coasts of Canada and The declining stocks put pressure on the Arctic the world’s fishery catches. Economically, the Greenland and herring in the Norwegian and indigenous people who often depend on fish Arctic fisheries supply a significant part of the Icelandic waters. Strict conservation measures catches. Climate changes may also threaten world’s fish supply. The Bering Sea fisheries including no-catch zones were put in place. species by reducing ice habitats. alone comprise half the United States catches. However, even with those measures, some August 2002 - THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES 5 be detected up to 500 metres from such power lines. On a broader scale however, these structures have an Whaling in adverse affect on the ecosystem. Up to two kilometres away from the pipelines, effects can be measured in changes in permafrost and dam- the Spitsbergen waters age from off-road vehicles.

Indigenous people In 1596, on his attempt to find a northern sea around Spitsbergen, the whale hunt shifted from Further reading: Hunting is the lifeline of many route from Europe to China, Willem Barentsz dis- Spitsbergen to Jan Mayen, and then to the Davis Hacquebord, L., Environment and History 7 indigenous groups as Sami, Komi, covered an island in the high north. He named the Straits between Greenland and Canada. (2001): 169-185 and Chukchi in Euro-Asia and island Spitsbergen (spiky mountains), today one Hacquebord, L., 1999: Polar Research 18(2), 375- Dogrib, Cree, Innu and Yupiit in of the islands in the archipelago known as It is estimated that a total of approximately 120 382 North-America. These people have Svalbard. thousand Greenland Right whales were caught evolved in close relationship with between 1612 and 1800. The size of the popula- Frits Steenhuisen their environment. Social networks, Willem Barentsz died on Novaya Zemlya in 1597 tion of Greenland Right whales before 1612 is Arctic Centre University of Groningen, traditions and a lifestyle thousands during this expedition, however the discovery of estimated at 46 thousand. Currently almost no The Netherlands of years old depends on the move- Spitsbergen was made public and very soon Greenland Right whales are left in the Northern www.let.rug.nl/arctic ments of the animals. attracted the Atlantic Ocean. In recent years, attention of History provides a clear only some rare observations of Northern Scandinavia and part of Dutch and Bowhead whales in Svalbard Russia are examples of areas where English warning about the impact of waters were reported. FACTS the current growth in infrastructure entrepre- ruthless exploitation. connected to transportation, oil, gas neurs. Their This history provides a clear Arctic animals and plants: and mineral extracts, is incompatible main interest was the reported abundance of warning about the impact of ruthless exploitation with reindeer herding. Indigenous Greenland Right whales (also called Bowhead of natural resources. In case of the Greenland • About 130 species of land animals people are forced to leave their whales). The first whaling in the area started Right whale, the reproduction rate is so low that among which are the polar bears, muckox, reindeer and caribou, nomadic lifestyles in favour of a set- sometime around 1612. Initially, the whales were the population does not seem to be capable of tled lifestyle. In Alaska, Canada and flensed (butchered) alongside the ships. The blub- growing back to safe numbers. Even after a few • About 280 nesting bird species among in Greenland many indigenous peo- ber was then cooked to render it into oil at primi- hundred years, the Atlantic population is still bare- which are geese, ducks and seabirds; ple will increasingly be affected tive land stations. Often these stations were only ly clinging on. when all their traditional food habits used for one or two years. Later the land stations • 450 species of fish, such as cod, and activities disappear as a result of became much larger, multi-year settlements. The Each year, in the Beaufort/Chuckchi Sea area, a salmon, herring, capelin, pollock and hal- industrialisation. best-known station is probably Smeerenburg, on few Bowhead whales are still taken as part of the ibut and several species of shellfish; Amsterdam Island, Spitsbergen. Stations like traditional hunt by Arctic indigenous people. This • Larger sea mammals such as walrus, For further reading: Smeerenburg made it possible to process large subsistence hunting, which is subject to strict seals and whales; GLOBIO www.globio.info/ numbers of whales. At the end of each whaling control and international agreement, provides tra- season, the barrels with train oil were shipped ditional food that is an important part of the diet • 3000 species of insects; Svein Tveitdal, Managing Director back to Europe. The remains of the blubber ovens for these isolated communities. Recently, agree- UNEP/GRID-Arendal and the whalers’ huts are still found on the West ment on the traditional hunt has been used as a • 3000 flowering plants; www.grida.no coast of Spitsbergen. ploy in the wider international disagreements about the future of commercial whaling – with • 3000 lichens and mosses; Lars Kullerud, Director The hunting had a devastating impact on the potentially damaging consequences for the physi- University of the Arctic whales in the area. When the Greenland Right cal and cultural health of the indigenous people • 5000 fungi. www.uarctic.org whale population started to decline dramatically concerned. Reindeer husbandry and forestry

About 2.5 million semi- There can also be conflicts of inter- domesticated reindeer roam est between reindeer husbandry throughout northernmost Eurasia and other use of land (roads, along a belt running from pipelines etc). In Norway there is Scandinavia to the Beringer considerable debate about an army Strait. rocket-testing site that is preventing reindeer herders from using much eindeer husbandry is an of their traditional land. ancient livelihood common Rto more than 20 different There was a general belief that any ethnic or language groups. Most damage to reindeer husbandry from reindeer herders are nomads who forestry would gradually disappear. migrate with their reindeer between But it is now clear that final cuttings summer pastures on the tundra and affect reindeer’s winter pastures: winter pastures in the taiga forests. the animals prefer old forests, These seasonal migrations fre- which provide an abundance of quently take place over hundreds of reindeer lichens, their main winter kilometres. food. Final cuttings reduce the value of the pasture. The loss of Despite the scale of these activities, arboreal lichens is even clearer. in Siberia, for instance, the whole Reindeer feed on them in mid and annual reindeer management cycle late winter, when the deep snow takes place north of the area used limits access to reindeer lichens. for commercial forestry. But in icturepoint P northernmost Fennoscandia, rein- Discovering new ways to integrate deer husbandry and forestry over- reindeer husbandry and forestry is lap, particularly in Finland and still a challenge. Planning the

Thopham Sweden where 75–90 % of the shared use of forests can help with reindeer population live in conifer- technical solutions, especially if all 1999,

ous forests, at least during the win- the users have a greater say in © ter. Sharing resources has some- making decisions about matters of Running reindeer times created problems. Reindeer concern to all. in captivity. grazing is generally thought to hin- Stanisca der the natural regeneration of Timo Helle and Mikko Hyppönen Scots pine and birch, and destroy Rovaniemi Research Station birch cultivations if they are not The Finnish Forest Research Institute fenced; but in fact there is little www.metla.fi UNEP/Bazkov damage to young Scots pine stands. 6 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002 Oil and Gas resources in the Barents Sea

The Barents Sea, with its disputed border controlled by Russia and Norway, supports one ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS IN THE BARENTS REGION of the world’s major fisheries, and is as such, already economically very important. The Barents Sea may also become a major gas and oil Franz Joseph Land supplier in the future. (Russia) he sea is split by a natural geological border zone, following approximately along the mid- Tline between Norway and Russia. This border Svalbard A r c t i c (Norway) O c e a n separates some enormous gas fields identified on Russian side from several modest discoveries on the Norwegian side. There is 0,3 billion Sm3 o.e. (standard cubic meters of oil equivalents) of extractable oil identified on the Norwegian side; mainly as gas, with another estimated 1 billion m3 unidentified. Unofficial sources indicate that the Bjørnøya already discovered resources on the Russian side (Norway) total about 8 billion Sm3 o.e. The Russian Novaya resources are thus by far the largest, even before Zemlya Kara the Russian undiscovered resources are estimated Norwegian Sea Sea (the undiscovered amount is speculated to be an Barents Disputed Sea exceptional 100 billion Sm3 o.e.). area Albatross Amderma Oil and gas exploration in the Barents Sea has Vaygach Snøhvit Askeladd faced slow development, due to the costs and political risks involved. The new start for the “Snøhvit Hammerfest R U S S I A Varandej Field” and a new oil discovery not too far from the Tromsø Alta Vardø Ar Vadsø coast has boosted new development optimism on ctic TROMS FINNMARK cir Kirkenes Kolguyev the Norwegian sector, in spite of strong opposition cle Pechenga from green movements. High oil price and a more Nikel Bodø Ivalo Murmansk Kiruna Kanin Narian-Mar stable political situation has also inspired new NORDLAND Monchegorsk Peninsula Indiga 8 investments and plans for development on the Mo i Rana Gällivare LAPLAND Usinsk 9

Kirovsk NENETS 9 1

Russian side. Kemijärvi Kandalaksha OKRUG , Mosjøen Rovaniemi MURMANSK Major oil pipeline spill Pechora z c NORRBOTTEN OBLAST (November 1994) i w

Luleå Kemi e

The Barents Sea shelf has a long geological history, c a where rock formations favourable for later oil and Mezen k Gulf of White e

NORGE R Sea gas occurrences developed. A few million years (Norway) Bothnia e SVERIGE Kem Ukhta p p ago, when the Atlantic Ocean opened all the way to i l

(Sweden) i SUOMI Belomorsk Severodvinsk Arkhangelsk the Arctic Ocean, land on the side of the new ocean h P

(Finland) ,

REPUBLIC l raised while land further away from the rift were not OF KARELIA Onega a d lifted. Erosion of this new land lead to decreased Potential for finding : Major seabirds colonies n e (individuals) Medvezhegorsk r

ARkHANGELSK A pressure from the above rocks on the oil and gas oil -

10 000 to 100 000 OBLAST D already trapped there. The rocks cracked leading to I natural gas R

more than 100 000 Petrozavodsk Kotlas G leakage or expansion of the gas pressed oil out of / P

Current Norwegian Russian-Norwegian border at sea E the traps. This has been the case for discoveries in petroleum exploration N Russian claim U

the Hammerfest Basin, including the Snøhvit field, , Confirmed Norwegian claim h c where drill cores show that the field used to be filled oil and gas fields t a

Saint-Petersburg 0 200 400 km w with oil, but now has mainly gas. The Oil that once Major pipeline Disputed areas s t n was there has leaked out to the sea over the last e r a two million years; but some ••• continued page 7 B UNEP/GEO-3: SURVIVORS IN THE COLD DISTRIBUTION OF POLAR BEAR POPULATIONS IN THE ARCTIC Hunting ringed seal, the preferred diet for polar bears, ozone protection damages phytoplankton and other has become a lot more difficult over the past decades microbial organisms that power the life systems of for the large white bear. With warmer temperatures in the Arctic. Pacific Ocean the Arctic, the ice, where the ringed seal feed and give birth, melts earlier. When the polar bears come The warmer temperatures also reduce the snow and out of winter hibernation in early spring the ice may ice cover. This, together with increased levels of pol already be gone and so are the seals. The polar bear lutants on the land surface, reduce the amount of Alaska Chukchi is left starving in a period when it should build up its reflection of sunlight adding to the overall warming Southern body fat for the coming birthing period. effect. Beaufort C a n a d a Sea Laptev This is just one example of how the general increase The changes are a stark reminder of the intercon- North in global temperatures has an immense effect on the nectedness between the earth’s surface, its water Beaufort Sea Arctic environment, as described in the recently masses and its atmospheric systems. According VM released United Nations Environment Programme to scientists polluting human activities both in Mc Clintock Arctic Basin Channel NW (UNEP)’s Global Environment Outlook report (GEO3). and outside the Arctic contributes to most of WH Russia GB Lancaster G r e e n l a n d these changes. Sound South Foxe Franz Joseph Measurements from 1979 to 1997 indicate an Hudson Basin KB Novaya Zemlya increase of 1oCelcius per decade in the eastern Arctic Most Arctic states embrace the Kyoto Protocol Bay Baffin Bay and a decrease of –1oCelcius in the western Arctic. and other climate change instruments, with the Svalbard exception of the withdrawal of the USA. Davis At the same time the protective stratospheric ozone Strait East le Greenland rc layer has thinned. There have been sporadic For further reading Norwegian Ci tic episodes of severe stratospheric ozone depletion over GEO-3 http://www.grida.no/geo3 Sea Arc the past 30 years and a 7.5 per cent decrease in AMAP (1977) Arctic Pollution Issues: A State of the I c e l a n d

S c a n d i n a v i a 8

Arctic ozone between the 1970s and 1990s. For Arctic Environment Report 9 9

Atlantic 1

each 1 per cent decrease in stratospheric ozone, http://nsidc.org/arcticmet/basics/primer_sources.html ,

Ocean h

KB Kane basin c there is about a 1 to 2 per cent increase in ultraviolet CAFF (1994) The State of Protected Areas in the t WH Western Hudson Bay a w

radiation. The impacts are serious and can affect the Circumpolar Arctic VM Viscount Melville Bay s t

GB Gulf of Boothia n entire food chain of the Arctic. For example, reduced http://agdc.usgs.gov/caff/caff_maps.html e NW Norwegian Bay r a B August 2002 - THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES 7

continued from page 6••• of it may have migrated to new locations, and the discovery made by Agip on the southern margin of the basin, just The UN issues an early warning north of Hammerfest may be one such location.

While the Norwegian sector may have about melting permafrost faced an unfavourable geological history over the last million years, this is The United Nations Environment Programme perature increase in permafrost from -4 to -1 degree nificantly damaged. Similar damages are reported on not the case further east. The disput- (UNEP) warns against the effects of global warm- Celsius. Such a warm-up reduces the ability of the roads and pipe lines. Damages to infrastructure are ed area between Russia and Norway ing on permafrost, and recommends conducting ground to support large structures by 70 per cent. In expected to increase in lieu with global warming. has several promising prospects more research into understanding the effects. some stations like Fairbanks, Alaska, a change has Erosion and the frequency of landslides are expected including Centralnoye, and Severo Conclusions from such research should prepare been registered since 1955, and in Norris and Yakutsk to increase once the permafrost decreases and the Kildinsky just east the mid-line. A the Arctic population for the dangers ahead as well in Russia, more than 500 tall buildings have been sig- active layer gets deeper. ••• continued page 8 third gas discovery, Stockman, was as dangers they are already facing. first announced to western experts at a conference in Harstad in 1989. The The polar areas are important in the climate PERMAFROST IN THE ARCTIC resources reported at 3,2 billion Sm3 debate, and the permafrost of Greenland and in o.e., led a western expert to insist that Antarctica even more so. The creation of deep-sea the Russians had made a decimal water in the North Atlantic can affect sea currents Pacific error, as this would be one of the and have severe climatic effects. The International Ocean largest gas fields in the world. Later, Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted that Okhostk even larger discoveries have been earth’s mean temperature will increase between Bering Sea proven in the Kara Sea further east. In 1,4 – 5,8 degrees Celsius in this century and the Sea spite this, there has been a very slow temperature in the Arctic will most likely rise the Alaska Anadyr development of these resources, due most. (United States) to bureaucratic red tape; unknown Chukchi consumer base; rough climate; prob- Permafrost areas Sea lems with delivery, as well as the East Siberian will be reduced Barrow Sea daunting cost of developing the exten- Beaufort NEW SIBERIAN sive infrastructure required. Permafrost is a typical characteristic of the CANADA Sea ISLANDS (RUSSIA) Arctic and can be from a few metres to one BANKS ISLAND Future development of the huge kilometre deep. Today’s spread of per- Laptev VICTORIA Sea Stockman field and the modest sized mafrost in the northern hemisphere is ISLAND RUSSIAN Arctic SEVERNAYA FEDERATION Snøhvit gas field together with new shown on the map. The permafrost in the ZEMLYA TAIMYR exploration licences in the Russian northern Siberia and North America is (RUSSIA) PENINSULA NORTH Arctic signal a possible growth in the deep and continuous. Further south, per- POLE ELLESMERE oil and gas development industry in mafrost is more spread out and is mostly ISLAND Hudson Dickson Bay Ocean the Barents Sea. It may be time for a found on mountains as far south as Sierra Kara strengthened circumpolar cooperation Nevada in Spain. In southern Norway, the Thule Sea BAFFIN NOVAYA to develop a means of safe production elevation limit for permafrost on the high- ISLAND Baffin ZEMLYA Bay (RUSSIA)

and to develop mechanisms for local est mountains decreased by about 100 LABRADOR 1 0 job generation. metres the last 2-300 years. An equal GREENLAND 0 2

reduction has been observed in Alaska and SVALBARD Barents z c

(NORWAY) Sea i

For further reading: in the Alps. Models developed by scientists w e

Murmansk c , Ræstad, Nils, 2002; Barents Sea – from IPCC show a possible reduction of up to a n k

KOLA o e

Norwegian i t geology and politics (in Norwegian, 16 per cent the next 50 years, especially in areas Sea PENINSULA R

a i e c original title: “Barentshavet - geologi og with discontinuous permafrost. p o p s i l s politik”), Geo (periodical), No 2, 2002. FINLAND i A h

NORWAY t P s

ISLANDE o l

Damages to r a f a Lars Kullerud, SWEDEN d n

the infrastructure Permafrost m e r r

University of the Arctic e A P Atlantic -

Isolated l www.uarctic.org The ground in areas with permafrost is nor- D a Ocean North I n R

Sporadic Sea o i Nils Ræstad mally suitable for building, however scientists G t / a P n PGS , www.pgs.com at the University of Alaska have found a tem- Discontinuous E r e N t U n

Continuous I UNEP/GEO-3: THE WET REGULATOR OF GLOBAL TEMPERATURE SURFACE CURRENTS IN THE ARCTIC The Arctic seas are important in regulating the global tant mineral deposits. Oil and gas development is climate, as well as providing great potential for oil and already underway along the coast of Alaska and in gas exploitation and for future transportation routes. the Barents, Kara and Pechora Seas. More sites are planned and there are growing concerns about the Two times the surface of the European continent, 20 potential disturbances to the Arctic ecology from oil million square kilometres, is the size of the entire spills and loss of habitat. Arctic marine environment. The enormity of these Alaska C. seas means a large shift of waters, which take part in The Arctic waters are under a potential risk of radioac- regulating the global climate. This is what the United tive contamination from ocean dumping of radioac- T r a Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s recently tive waste, which was common until the London n s p o released Global Environment Outlook report (GEO-3) Dumping Convention came into effect. Six nuclear l a r states. submarine reactors have been sunk off the coast D r i Beaufort f of Russia. Gyre t

More fresh water is entering the oceans because the 7 9

Arctic pack ice is melting. A decline of over 40 per To secure and protect the Arctic seas, the Arctic 9 1

, cent has been measured from the 1960s to 1990s. countries adopted a Regional Programme of Action z c i

Over 18 years, the ice season has lengthened in the for Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment w e

1 c western hemisphere, most strongly in the western against Land-based Activities, among other regula- a k

Labrador C. East e

Labrador Sea. However, in the eastern hemisphere, tions. Given the current warming trend and interest R Greenland C. e freeze-up is occurring later and thawing is occurring in resource exploitation in the Arctic, the expectation p

North p i l earlier, leaving large areas ice-free for several weeks. is that there will be further exploitation of the Arctic Cape C. i h P

marine environment and increased competition for , l a

These large waters also have considerable economic strategic advantages. d n e and strategic potential. For instance, shipping routes North r A

Atlantic C. - D are opening up along the Arctic coast of Russia with a For further reading: I R potential to directly link Asia with Western Europe. GEO–3 www.grida.no/geo/geo3/index.htm G / P

PAME (1997) E N

There are vast oil and gas reserves along the conti- www.grida.no/prog/polar/aeps/pamestrp.htm U

Atlantic currents , P nental shelves bordering the Arctic, as well as impor- PAME (2001) pame.arctic-council.org Other currents 1 : West Spitsbergen Current A M A 8 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002

continued from page 7••• and holes in the ice. Removal of the Danger to indigenous topsoil leads to further melting of The UN Change in permafrost temperatures people and ecosystems permafrost. These processes contribute to the self-perpetuating Climate Panel at various depths in Fairbanks (Alaska) Climate changes can affect the vege- mechanism of more releases of car- on Permafrost tation on the tundra. In Arctic Russia bon dioxide and methane contribut- alone, 200,000 indigenous people ing to the greenhouse gas effect. Permafrost is sensitive to Mean annual temperature °C live partly as nomads, surviving by changes in temperature; + 2 reindeer herding. Erosion and UNEP recommends continuous 0,12 m changes to the landscape are surveillance of areas with per- By 2050 more dispersed per- expected to have a negative effect on mafrost and the significant dam- mafrost areas are expected; the traditional lifestyle of the indige- ages which the melting can do to + 1 nous people and threaten their infrastructure, ecology, indigenous Areas with a lot of permafrost livelihoods. people and to enhancing green- are expected to stay relatively 0,52 m house effect. stable because of the large 0

Speeding up amounts of ice; 2000 the greenhouse effect For further reading: The EU project: Permafrost and A visible increase in the 1,01 m For thousands of years the tundra Climate in Europe (PACE), thickness of the active - 1 ekacewicz, has worked as a carbon sink, www.cf.ac.uk/earth/pace/ permafrost layer is expected; R because dead vegetation does not The Arctic Council, Arctic Climate rot but is stored in the ground. Impact Assessment (ACIA), The result of a reduction of Thinning of the permafrost allows www.acia.org permafrost caused by global - 2 Philippe micro-organisms to break down the International Permafrost Association warming is expected to lead to: biological material. In this process, (IPA), www.geodata.soton.ac.uk/ipa/ - Increased erosion and dan- methane and carbon dioxide are IPCC, Special report on The Regional ger of landslides released. In Alaska it is document- Impacts of Climate Change, An - Break down of ice-rich - 3 ed that the tundra has changed assessment of Vulnerability, Chapter landscapes from being a carbon stock to 3: The Arctic and the Antarctic - Damage to vegetation UNEP/GRID-Arendal, becoming a source of carbon to the www.ipcc.ch/pub/wg2SPMfinal.pdf - Changes to ecosystems and 0 atmosphere. The carbon is mostly Permafrost maps: animal life released as methane, because the www.grida.no/prog/polar/ipa - Damage to buildings, roads 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 Change, rotting process is happening in wet and pipelines soil with little or no supply of oxy- Lars Kullerud, Director - Changes to agriculture Soil depth (in meter) Climate gen. UArctic, www.uarctic.org - Changes to building meth- 0,12 m on ods Water gathering on top of the per- Svein Tveitdal, Managing Director - Additional emissions of 0,52 m mafrost will often lead to increased UNEP/GRID-Arendal greenhouse gases 1,01 m Graphics ital

melting, ground erosion, and canals www.grida.no V

UNEP/GEO-3: POLAR BEARS AND SEALS SUFFER IN WARMER TEMPERATURES Arctic Sea Ice:

Hunting ringed seal, the pre- in ultraviolet radiation. The ferred diet for polar bears, has impacts are serious and can A Vanishing Kingdom become a lot more difficult over affect the entire food chain of the past decades for the large the Arctic. For example, reduced white bear. With warmer tem- ozone protection damages phy- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has melting earlier in the spring and forming later in the peratures in the Arctic, the ice, toplankton and other microbial confirmed that human-induced climate change is a real- autumn. The time bears have on the ice, storing up ener- where the ringed seal feed and organisms that power the life ity. It can no longer be dismissed as a theoretical, aca- gy for the summer and autumn when there is little avail- give birth, melts earlier. When systems of the Arctic. demic, concept nor a politically motivated doomsday able food, is becoming shorter. As the periods without the polar bears come out of prophecy. food are extended, the overall body condition of these winter hibernation in early The warmer temperatures also bears decline. This is particularly serious for pregnant or spring the ice may already be reduce the snow and ice cover. The Arctic is one of the regions on earth where climate nursing females, and young cubs. In Hudson Bay, sci- gone and so are the seals. The This, together with increased change will be seen early, and most dramatically. Arctic entists have found the main cause of death for cubs to polar bear is left starving in a levels of pollutants on the land indigenous communities are already noticing some of be either an absence of food or lack of fat on nursing period when it should build up surface, reduce the amount of these changes: warmer winters, early spring breakup, mothers. its body fat for the coming reflection of sunlight adding to and thinner than usual ice. This traditional knowledge birthing period. the overall warming effect. echoes the scientific evidence: ”For every week earlier that break-up occurs in the Hudson Bay, bears will come ashore roughly 10kg This is just one example of how The changes are a stark • Air temperatures in the Arctic have on average lighter and thus in poorer condition. With reproductive the general increase in global reminder of the interconnected- increased by about 5°C over the last 100 years. success tied closely to body condition, if temperatures temperatures have an immense ness between the earth’s sur- continue to rise in response to increases in greenhouse effect on the Arctic environ- face, its water masses and its • Arctic sea ice extent decreased by approximately 3 per gas emissions and the sea ice melts for longer periods, ment, as described in the atmospheric systems. Polluting cent per decade between 1978 and 1996. polar bear numbers will be ••• continued page 9 recently released United Nations human activities both in and Environment Programme outside the Arctic according to The results of climate modeling of vary in detail, but all (UNEP)’s Global Environment scientists contributes to most of show a clear trend towards an overall warming in the Thinning of the Arctic sea ice cover 2000 Outlook report (GEO3). these changes. Arctic, and a resulting melting of the sea ice. The models suggest that by 2080, arctic sea ice will completely Meters Measurements from 1979 to Most Arctic states embrace the disappear during the summer months. ekacewicz,

1997 indicate an increase of Kyoto Protocol and other climate R . P 1° Celcius per decade in the change instruments with the These are dramatic and rapid changes in an ecosystem 0 eastern Arctic and a decrease of exception of the withdrawal of defined by being frozen. A slight shift in temperature, –1° Celcius in the western the USA. bringing averages above freezing, will completely alter Arctic. the character of this region, from one of ice covering the 1 For further reading: seas and permafrost stabilizing the ground, to one of Ice At the same time the protective GEO-3 www.grida.no/geo3 open water and large tracts of land simply melted away. stratospheric ozone layer has AMAP (1977) Arctic Pollution The consequences for humans and animal species, such 2 - 1,3 meter UNEP/GRID-Arendal, thinned. There have been spo- Issues: A State of the Arctic polar bears, that are adapted to the current Arctic volume down radic episodes of severe stratos- Environment Report ecosystem, will be severe. Ice by 40% pheric ozone depletion over the nsidc.org/arcticmet/basics/primer_ 3 Change, past 30 years and a 7.5 per sources.html “New information indicates the greatest future chal- All regions together cent decrease in Arctic ozone CAFF (1994) The State of lenges to the conservation of polar bears may be ecolog- Climate Thickness of the ice Thickness of the ice between the 1970s and 1990s. Protected Areas in the ical change in the Arctic as a result of climate change…” for the period for the period on For each 1 per cent decrease in Circumpolar Arctic (Polar Bear Specialist Group, 2001). 1958-1976 1993-1997 stratospheric ozone, there is agdc.usgs.gov/caff/caff_maps.html about a 1 to 2 per cent increase In the southern range of polar bears, for example the Graphics ital

Hudson and James Bays of Canada, sea ice is already V August 2002 - THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES 9 continued from page 8••• reduced UNEP/GEO-3: THE WORLD’S FUTURE WATER POND in the southern portions of their Climate change range and may even become locally extinct” (Dr. Ian Stirling, Polar bear The sources of global freshwater are steadily of these are in Russia with the Lena, the scientist). declining and with increasing demands from Yenisey and the Ob being the largest. They adaptation in the south the Arctic could become the world’s pour 4,200 cubic kilometres of freshwater The local and indigenous peoples of future supplier of freshwater to countries in into the Arctic Ocean annually. the Lena Basin the Arctic are dependent upon a the south. Freshwater as a saleable commodi- healthy and well-functioning ecosys- ty might be the future, though so far this idea Since for most of the year the Arctic is in its tem for survival – both physically, as has been met with strong opposition. frozen state, the massive spring outpouring of The Lena is one of the world’s 10 largest rivers. much of their nutrition is derived melting freshwater occurs in a short spurt of a Due to climate change, floods have become very locally from harvesting of natural This is what the recently released United few weeks. Melting snow also contributes to severe in the Lena and its tributaries. In the last resources; and culturally, as the tra- Nations Environment programme (UNEP)'s spring run-off. An increase in the flow of five years, there have been two floods of extreme ditions tied to living in a land that is Global Environment Outlook report, the GEO- freshwater to the surface layer of the Arctic severity, surpassing all floods of this river since frozen most of the year define their 3, states about Arctic freshwater. Ocean affects its salinity, and the currents, records began. Sixty-two towns and villages were way of life. Any development that is which in turn will affect the northern hemi- badly affected by flooding in 2001 and Lensk to be culturally and ecologically sus- Ice dominates parts of the Arctic and holds spheres and global climate. Changes in cli- town was completely flooded. The direct eco- tainable in the Arctic is dependent much of the world’s freshwater in frozen mate may interfere with the formation of the nomic loss was 250 million US dollar. upon maintaining a healthy ecosys- state. For example, the ice pack of the Arctic North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) and the tem. Ocean is 8 million square kilometres and the northward-flowing Gulf Stream. Some scien- In order to raise awareness of climate change Greenland Ice Pack covers 1.7 million square tists believe that this may potentially stop considerations in water management and policy Large carnivores are sensitive indica- kilometres and stores 10 per cent of global altogether with subsequent dire consequences decision-making, the Arctic Monitoring and tors of ecosystem health and can be freshwater only second in size to the Antarctic for Europe’s climate. Assessment Programme of the Arctic Council has used to define the minimum area ice cap. initiated, within the framework of the Global necessary to preserve intact ecosys- Arctic countries have partially responded to Dialogue of Water and Climate, the project tems. WWF has identified the polar Fresh water is also stored in icebergs, which threats to their freshwater systems by estab- "Dialogue on Climate Change Adaptation Strategy bear as a unique symbol of the com- break off from glaciers and are released into lishing protected areas. Nearly half the pro- in Water Management and Flood Preparedness at plexities and inter-dependencies of open water, and in the Arctic permafrost. tected area in the Arctic is the Greenland ice the Lena Basin". The Lena Basin Dialogue aims the arctic marine ecosystem as it Permafrost is permanently frozen ground that cap and glaciers, which store freshwater. to establish a background to sustainable and cli- works toward its goal of preserving extends throughout most of the Arctic. mate change sound water management in the biodiversity for future generations. For further reading: Lena basin. The Arctic’s major river systems are equally GEO-3: http://www.grida.no/geo3 Stefan Norris important sources of freshwater. The Arctic PAME (2001) http://pame.arctic-council.org Vitaly Kimstach WWF Arctic Programme has several of the world’s largest rivers; seven AMAP Secretariat www.ngo.grida.no/wwfap www.amap.no

SHELF PROCESSES INVOLVES TRANSPORT OF CONTAMINANTS AND SEA ICE

Atmospheric transport

GAS EXCHANGE Sea birds Deposition Volatilization Deposition Volatilization Depth (m) Polar bear 0 Rivers Turbid plume Flocculation Ice melt 10 Plankton Seals Biogenic particules Particles from Bottom melting ice 20 resuspension Salt wedge by waves Arctic cod 30 Walrus 40 Upwelling Narwhal 50 and Beluga

80 90 Spring / summer 100

Particle deposition

GAS EXCHANGE

Depth (m) Rivers 0 Landfast ice Anchor ice Shear zone 10 1997 Brine drainage Polar 20 Suspension Strong stratification freezing mixed Ice scour zone layer

30 ekacewicz, R 40

50 Philippe

80 UNEP/GRID-Arendal, 90 Winter , 100 AMAP 10 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002

The future of children and youth Children and youth in the circumpolar region are the future leaders and policy makers of the Arctic. The Arctic Council has recently completed the first stage of an assessment of the health status of these children and youth in order to identify issues that need to be addressed by government and community leaders to ensure their healthy development. With Canada taking the lead in this project, support was provided from the other seven circumpolar states and the WHO. While the availability of data at this point somewhat hampers comparisons between countries, some clear trends are evident.

Infant mortality rates have declined over time but are still highest among indigenous popu- ullerud

K lations. Rates of preterm birth and lower birth weights are also higher Lars Local fishermen on the Lena river in Russia. in this group. While a very high proportion of children across all eight circumpolar states have Indigenous people: been immunized against all major childhood diseases, indigenous youth are still at higher risk for the original ecologists? Tuberculosis and Chlamydia. Gender differences were also evident in the data collected to date. Indigenous peoples are commonly thought to ginalise indigenous peoples even further. They homelands are clear. In Canada, for example, the Rates of suicide and motor vehicle be a window into Man’s authentic and natural become reduced to peoples with a long history and Inuit have gained a large amount of control over accidents are highest among stages unspoiled by westernisation, a short vision. This is an image fuelled by the their territories and resources through the estab- males, particularly those males industrialisation and environmental destruction. understanding of them as peoples living from hand lishment of regional self-government in the 1.994 from indigenous populations. The to mouth. In such an image traditional knowledge million square kilometres (one-fifth the size of highest risk age group identified nuit of the Arctic and other indigenous peoples has value but political visions are not always wel- Canada) area named Nunavut (Our Land) created was 20-24 year olds, followed by of the world are often pointed out as living in come. This happens when political fora do not give in 1999. 15-19 year olds. Iharmony with the land and resources. Their tra- proper attention to the indigenous peoples’ con- ditional cultures are supposed to hold the key to temporary visions and strategies for sustainable The Inuit in Greenland formulates their own strate- Future studies plan to collect addi- sustainable use of nature. This has made some futures of their homelands. This unfortunate posi- gies for sustainable development through their tional data from the circumpolar argue that Inuit are original ecologists. They may tion is further intensified by the image of sustain- Home Rule government established in 1979. states with a focus on temporal thus offer the needed alternatives to contemporary ability as embedded in the ecological and idyllic Arctic indigenous peoples face different opportuni- trends in health among children living and use of nature. Some Inuit support this indigenous cultures – it has to be found rather than ties due to the variety of legislation. In Siberia, for and youth, in order to assess view. produced. example, many indigenous peoples lack proper changes in their health status over influence and strategies at almost all levels due to time. These results will be translat- One way to get insight into their intrinsic sustain- The President of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, the dominance of non-indigenous peoples. Despite ed into policy actions by govern- able worldview and way of life has been through Aqqaluk Lynge, criticises this perception and states differences they all have to fight many prevailing ments to improve adverse out- the collection of traditional knowledge. Hundreds that “we do not think of our past or our present as misconceptions in order to be able to present and comes. of projects on traditional knowledge have been pur- ‘idyllic’ ... We acknowledge that ... Inuit are human qualify their contemporary strategies and visions sued throughout the world, not least in the Arctic. and make mistakes. But all ... Inuit – and the for sustainability. Being noble and original ecolo- Dr. Lynn Brodsky, Senior Advisor These projects are often supported by Inuit as it is social, political and economic institutions through gists is one of these misconceived images. Dr. Andrew Gilman, Director a way to break their marginalised position and to which we express ourselves – know that our living Office of Sustainable have their knowledge recognised as important. resources are the backbone of our existence. As Frank Sejersen, assistant professor Development Health Canada such, we want to protect them and use them sus- Department of Eskimology, www.hc-sc.gc.ca/susdevdur However, a narrow focus on traditional knowledge tainably”. The commitment and dedication of University of Copenhagen in discussions about sustainability may in fact mar- indigenous peoples to protect the resources of their [email protected] UNEP/GEO-3: PEOPLE ARE CHANGING TRADITIONAL LIFESTYLES

The indigenous people of the Arctic are moving Scandinavia and north-western Russia have tradi- order to efficiently and cost-effectively deliver health were 3-10 times higher in northern Canada where away from their traditional lands and into the cities, tionally engaged in reindeer herding. In recent years, care, education, electricity, and modern housing, and marine mammals are consumed than in southern leaving behind century-old traditions. Over grazing, however, overgrazing and competition for land has other administrative and social services. Canada. This raises concern over levels of marine pollution, bad health and sanitation, and expansion become a serious problem. In North America, pollution and accumulation of POPs in the food of industries and cities throughout the Arctic threaten Greenland and Arctic Russia, indigenous peoples Permafrost and the cold climate present serious chal- chain. their lifestyles. have relied on caribou, seals, and water birds, but lenges to waste disposal and sanitation in all Arctic over-hunting is putting several wildlife populations at communities and particularly to the indigenous For further reading: This is what the United Nations Environment risk. dwellers, as the breakdown and recycling of nutri- GEO-3 http://www.grida.no/geo3 Programme (UNEP)'s Global Environment Outlook ents is much slower at low temperatures. While The Northern Sea Route and Local Communities in report, the GEO-3, points out about indigenous peo- In North America, there have been attempts to avoid larger cities have sewage systems, many smaller Northwest Russia: Social Impact Assessment for the ple in the north. creating permanent settlements around mines and communities throughout the Arctic have yet to pro- Murmansk Region. http://www.dartmouth.edu/acad- oil fields by using shift workers rather than moving vide all their citizens with some form of sewage treat- inst/arctic/articles/searoute.html For millennia, humans have been an integral com- families north. ment or septic system. Many settlements through- GLOBIO Global Methodology for Mapping Human ponent of the Arctic ecosystems and have relied on out the Russian Arctic have no indoor plumbing. Impacts on the Biosphere, Environment Information the biological resources for their survival and more Throughout most of the Arctic, however, people con- and Assessment Technical Report http://www.glo- recently market economy, for their livelihood. Today, tinue to live in small settlements of a few hundred to Pollutants generated by industries can affect people bio.info/ there are about 3.75 million people living in the a few thousand. During the 1950s and 1960s, living further north. A study in Canada for example CAFF (2001) Arctic, of which about 10 per cent are traditional government policies throughout the Arctic led to con- showed levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants http://www.internat.environ.se/index.php3?main=/d indigenous peoples. For example, the Saami of solidation of small settlements into larger towns in (POPs) in maternal blood of indigenous peoples ocuments/press/2001/p010608b.htm August 2002 - THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES 11

ANNUAL INDIGENOUS SUBSISTENCE PRODUCTION IN ARCTIC CANADA Food and animals dangerously contaminated Inuvialuit Baffin study conducted by the Arctic future risk of contamination, yet maintain For further reading:

Kitikmeot Monitoring and Assessment the nutritional benefits of traditional AMAP Assessment Report: Arctic Pollution Iñuvik AProgram’s (AMAP) Human Health diets. Swift action and global awareness Issues, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Labrador Yukon Expert Group shows that the traditional is needed to restrict emissions, especially Programme (AMAP), Oslo, Norway, 1998. Territory Fort Smith food of the Arctic indigenous people is of the most dangerous chemicals, which Global Environmental Outlook – 2000, Keewatin severely exposed to environmental con- affect even the most remote areas on United Nations Environmental taminants: people who eat meat and earth. Early ratification of the Stockholm Programme, Earthscan Publications Ltd., Nunavik blubber from marine mammals are Convention on POPs will be an essential London, United Kingdom, 1999. exposed to Persistent Organic Pollutant’s step in reducing sources of these pollu- (POP) (dioxins, PCBs, pesticides) and tants. Jens C. Hansen, Chair heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, lead), Andrew Gilman, Vice-chair often in excess of the levels reported in AMAP Human Health Expert Group the industrialized countries where these www.amap.no chemicals are produced and released. SOURCES OF POPS IN THE ARCTIC Environmental contaminants reach the Arctic by means of air and water cur- ‘Clean’ air ; low toxaphene rents. These fat-soluble substances are over NW Pacific then easily incorporated into the polar food web species with high levels of fatty ‘Clean’ air ; low chlordane Inuvialuit tissue used to adapt to the cold. The and PCBs across the Arctic Ocean Kitikmeot effects of these contaminants are not Iñuvik fully understood, but there is concern Yukon Baffin Elevated Tagish Territory about the effects on development, repro- toxaphene Fort Smith duction and the immune system. from US/Canada 1997 Keewatin west coast Labrador The AMAP study (Phase 1) monitored

Nunavik POPs and heavy metal levels in pregnant Elevated PCBs Dunai ekacewicz, R women throughout the Arctic, since and HCH from Russia/Siberia Elevated PCBs fetuses are especially sensitive to chemi- and HCH from cals in the environmental. For the first Russia/Siberia Philippe time it was possible to compare circum- Cape Dorset Alert polar data, collected and analyzed to a single standard. Phase 2 studied other Ny-Ålesund effects of contaminants; its results will be Elevated PCBs and HCH published in autumn 2002. Elevated chlordane originating from Inuvialuit originating from Svanvik Europe and

Baffin US/Canada western Russia UNEP/GRID-Arendal, Based on these findings, it was proposed east coast , that local health authorities work with Heimaey Island AMAP exceptionally exposed Arctic populations

Iñuvik Kitikmeot – such as in Greenland, eastern Arctic Canada and the Arctic part of Russia – Yukon and give dietary advice to minimize Territory Labrador Fort Smith Keewatin Nunavik Indigenous people depend on nature

According to Russian practice, indigenous peoples of indigenous peoples have in adopting modern ways of life, the north, Siberia and the far east of the Russian and the social disaster that resulted from the state’s attempt Inuvialuit Federation are addressed in administrative and juridical to settle nomads, reverse social structures, reorganise sub- contexts. Indigenous peoples’ own organisations follow sistence into commercial economies, etc. Baffin this pattern. In the Russian north, 260,000 indigenous people form 0.5% of the entire Russian population, The recent socio-economic crises in Russia with the transi- Iñuvik Kitikmeot Yukon belonging to 40 federally recognised ethnic groups, a tion to a market economy have led to a breakdown of most Territory percentage which is increasing due to emigration of non- of the supply and transportation system in remote areas. Fort Smith Labrador Keewatin indigenous people. Rural areas have more indigenous Their inhabitants were first incorporated into the alien Soviet people than they have people of other origins; and in economic system, then made dependent on modern infra- Nunavik many scarcely populated areas of the Arctic they form structure and product distribution; now they have been left the majority. without supplies, medical care or the economic means and legal expertise to deal with this situation. Many would like ost of the indigenous peoples live in small villages to return to the old ways of life but this is now difficult 1997 close to their subsistence areas where (in addition because their natural environment, culture and traditions Mto more modern occupations) they pursue tradition- has been degraded or destroyed. Kg al subsistence activities like reindeer-herding, hunting, fish-

ekacewicz, 1 000 000 ing and gathering. But they face severe problems. Since the The indigenous people of Russia have since 1990 organised R colonisation of the North, large expanses have been con- themselves in the Russian Asso-cia-tion of Indigenous No data 500 000 verted into areas for alien settlement, transportation routes, Minorities of the North, Siberia and the Far East, RAIPON.

Philippe industry, forestry, mining and oil production, and have been Its main concerns are environment, health, legal issues and 100 000 50 000 devastated by pollution, irresponsible managed oil and min- economy, but it lacks the financial means to succeed. In 10 000 eral prospecting, and military activity. most areas, there is a shortage of even basic things like food, equipment and firewood. So the need for continuous Fish As in other parts of the world such as Russia, indigenous support from outside is crucial. Terrestrial mammals peoples have strong ties to their environment. Spirituality and subsistence keep them closely attached to nature: their Winfried K. Dallmann UNEP/GRID-Arendal, Marine mammals , cultural identity is directly dependent on intact ecosystems Norwegian Polar Institute Birds and small game within their areas. This explains the great difficulties many www.npolar.no AMAP 12 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002 Arctic future at crossroads

Ecosystems Human impact impacted by High Impact infrastructure Medium - High Impact A tale of four futures expansion Low - Medium Impact 2002 Low disturbance Decisions taken today and tomorrow will Semi-Deserts and Deserts Wetlands define the kind of environment this and Forests future generations will enjoy. Four different Grassland policy scenarios have sketched out different futures possible over the next 30 years in the Global Environment Outlook 2002 report.

ROMSØ, AUGUST 2032 - The Arctic indigenous people have more or less Tadopted western lifestyles. They have moved away from the north, to the southern part of the Arctic in the most radical scenario from the Global Environment Outlook 2002 reports, Market First.

Not all the scenarios see such a bleak future for 2002 the diversity of the north. The scenarios set four different scenes in which the world will develop over the next 30 years. Each depends on Ahlenius, which policy tool governments choose to adopt.

The four scenarios discussed are the market Hugo oriented, Market First scenario; the strong government oriented, Policy First scenario; the security and market oriented, Security First scenario, and finally, the most environmentally friendly option, the Sustainability First scenario. UNEP/GRID-Arendal,

Market First , Market First is the scenario, which tells of a OBIO

world that adopts the values and expectations GL prevalent in today’s industrialised countries. Globalisation and liberalisation are the two main driving forces in this market economy. It will enhance corporate wealth and create new businesses, which will enable people to insure against - and pay to fix- social and environmental problems. Expanding demands over- whelm the powers of state officials, planners and lawmakers in regulating society, the economy and the environment. Barriers to trade and movement of capital gradually vanish and inter- Policy First focus of govern- national organisations like the United Nations In the second scenario, ments. The global poor see themselves operating in a more reactive Policy First, governments try are excluded from the new than proactive mode. By 2032, environmental to reach specific social and envi- economy and traditional liveli- standards will have fallen and pressures on ronmental goals. A co-ordinated pro- hoods and communities erode as resources remain severe. environment and anti-poverty drive balances global markets penetrate peripheral regions. In 2032, the dream of a better world the economic development. Environmental remains. THE PRACTIONERS PREDICTIONS and social costs and gains are incorporated into policy measures, regulatory frameworks Sustainability First Arctic Environment Times asked four interna- have an immense effect on people and nature. and planning processes. Tax levers are the In interacting with each other and the world tionally recognised environmental experts and What do you see as the most important steps incentive to keep them, as well as interna- around them, people under the Sustainability practitioners about their predictions and expec- the world can take to hinder too damaging tional treaties, which are now upgraded into First scenario stimulate and support sustain- tations for the future of the Arctic environment. effects of climate change? law status. Regional and international organ- able policies measures and hold corporate Bjørn Lomborg, director of Denmark’s national isations get a more direct role in resolving behaviour accountable. People’s wallets, feet Environmental Assessment Institute and author Question 3. Persistent Organic Pollutants conflicts within and between nations. The and voices become decisive for the global of The Sceptical Environmentalist, Elizabeth (POPs) are a severe threat to people, animals private sector has accepted a major respon- markets. A fuller collaboration between gov- May, Executive Director of the Sierra Club and plants in the Arctic environment. They are sibility and more money has been invested in ernments, citizens and other groups exists in Canada, Peter Stenlund, chair of the senior mainly transported by air from more southern research, development and technology trans- decision-making on most issues. A new envi- Arctic Officials in Finland and Dr. Claude and densely industrialised countries and remain fers to developing countries. ronment and development paradigm Martin, Director General of World Wide Fund in the cold and harsh Arctic climate where they emerges, in response to the challenge of sus- for nature, WWF, all gave their invaluable spread diseases. What do you believe to be Security First tainability. This paradigm combines a power- contributions. important to tackle such a pollution filled future Conflict and striking disparities arise in the ful personal and philosophical dimension for the Arctic? Security First scenario. Inequality and con- with concern over economic growth, techno- They answered the following five questions: flict prevail, and socio-economic and envi- logical potential and political eventualities. Question 4. Over-fishing of the Arctic fish stock ronmental stresses raise the number of The more individuals and groups get Question 1. Based on the four scenarios and is a problem of concern. What steps should be protests and counteractions. The powerful involved in practical initiatives, the more your experience what role do you expect the taken to ensure a sustainable harvest of the fish and wealthy groups create a focus on self- general hope grows that significant change is Arctic (the Arctic Sea, the northern territories of stocks? protection, but they exclude the disadvan- possible, and the media serves to help make North America, Greenland, Iceland, the north- taged. Negotiations on climate change and these efforts more visible. ern part of Scandinavia and the northern part of Question 5. What are your concrete ideas about other multilateral environmental agreements the Russian Federation) to play 30 years from how the world should tackle the growing envi- drag on with minimal progress. Government All these scenarios are based on seven so- now in the global environment? ronmental problems in the Arctic? efforts to tackle environmental and social called driving forces, which evolve and inter- problems are generally ineffective: instead, act and decide human actions. These driving Question 2. The climate is changing and the Read their answers and comments governmental powers are stirred towards forces are; demography, economic develop- effects are evident in the Arctic. In 30 years the on the following pages. protecting the economic interests of busi- ment, human development, science and world climate will have changed which will ness. Short-term crisis and lifeboat ethics, technology, governance, culture and environ- rather than long-term development is the ment. August 2002 - THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES 13

Question 1. I expect that the Arctic’s importance as problems in the world – even in the Arctic alcohol far beyond their rate of reproduction. Over-fishing is a source for energy extraction will have diminished abuse poses a much greater threat to the human wel- due to market failures in particular the tragedy of the thirty years from now as technological advances have fare. Second, it has to be acknowledged that some commons where individual rationality (catching as introduced other economically competitive sources for effects of global warming could prove to be an advan- many fish as possible) is suboptimal from a societal energy. The Arctic biodiversity will still be consider- tage. Third, the really important issue is to improve perspective (maintaining a minimum stock of fish for able. Some species (polar bears, walrus’s etc.) will the adaptation capacity of the region to ensure that all to enjoy). Therefore, state intervention is neces- suffer from rising temperatures while others – incl. the negative aspects of the climate change can be sary. This could be in the form of – enforceable – fish- humans - will benefit from the increasing amount of handled. ing regulations to keep the stock sustainable, interna- productive land and forests. tional agreements that in time could transfer fishing Question 3. Again this is an unreasonable loaded rights from the developed world to developing coun- Question 2. This is a somewhat loaded question as question. There is nothing to indicate that the future tries, and an out phasing of perverse fishing subsi- it is indeed questionable just how immense the effect facing the Arctic is ‘pollution filled’. In fact, it is tempt- dies. of climate change will be on people and nature. One ing to predict that in 2032 the Arctic will be less con- does know that the change in temperature will not be taminated by POP’s compared to today. Empirical evi- Question 5. Here I would question the relative directly responsible for human deaths in the region, dence suggests that as countries grow wealthier, pol- importance of the environmental problem in the Bjørn Lomborg which is sadly not the case for many other problems lutants that are a threat to human health will be effec- Arctic. To rationally prioritise the world’s resources, it currently facing the world: the lack of access to food, tively combated. More specifically, a treaty to regulate is necessary to put the problems in perspective: the Director of Denmark's national Environmental Assessment water and sanitation. and phase out POPs is already in place (the Arctic has 3.75 million permanent residents (UNEP, p Institute Stockholm Convention). The concentration of the 266). It is evident that the larger part of our environ- The rise in temperature for the next thirty years will POPs in the Arctic will therefore go down as it has in mental efforts must be placed elsewhere where they have an impact on the Arctic environment and while rest of the developed world. would improve the welfare of many more people. there are some impacts we would rather have been Especially when it comes to the adverse effects of without, we also have to be careful not to go over- Question 4. Technological advances have created a global warming, the Third World should be in much board. First, these impacts are not the most important situation where humankind is capable of catching fish greater focus.

Survival of the fittest Markets first 2032

A major increase in sport and commercial hunting has driven some species to biologically hunting and fishing in the north is a reality in unsustainable levels. International agreements are 2032. This has happened as a reaction to the inefficient in dealing with this situation. World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) ruling stating that restrictions in trade of Arctic animals are a The impacts of climate change mean major scar- violation of the principles of free trade. ring over the landscape, due to construction of roads. nder the Market First future from the 2002 Global Environment Outlook 2002 report, Not many people left Ufree trade is pivotal to the existence of soci- The Arctic Council stands back with little Ahlenius, ety. Economic arguments have consistently won impact on the decisions affecting the Arctic

over ecological arguments and trade powers the region and the Council has not lived up to its Hugo system. goals of promoting co-operation among the Arctic states. With a growing set of agree- Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuge has been ruled ments, most indigenous groups have varying open to oil and gas drilling by the United States degrees of ownership of the Arctic resources. court, despite opposition. The Arctic becomes the Multinational companies have arrived to raw-resource pool for other populations. Networks explore and produce in the Arctic. Initially, they UNEP/GRID-Arendal, of oil fields, production plants and pipelines are created jobs and money for local people. But with , common in regions of Europe and North America. production in full swing and quite mechanised, Many rivers have been damned or diverted to sup- long-term employment becomes impossible. OBIO GL ply an increasingly water and energy-hungry Many Arctic people turn to the south and the old- world. traditional ways of culture and living die out - largely due to decisions made by the Arctic people Periodic collapse of fish stocks occurs in Arctic themselves. waters and large trawlers out-number the local ble institu- fisheries. The polar bear has slowly disappeared As the local people disappear, tourism flourishes, tions and mod- in some areas of the Arctic. Living areas of the especially cruise tourism; but environmental ern information tech- caribou, reindeer, grizzly bear and musk oxen degradation and pollution are visible. However, nology provide the people of the have been severely fragmented and extensive improved education, more professional and capa- north with new and competitive advantages.

Question 1. The Arctic has played an extremely al property rights (Trade Related Intellectual Property the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. The culprit is the important role in global ecosystems, although it has Rights Agreements), should be in the hands of cli- technology that allows the hunting down of every fish. often been an invisible one. Now, the impact of prac- mate negotiators. There should be no "opting out" We need to recognize the importance of the ocean tices in the industrialized world thousands of miles to allowed for any nation that wishes to benefit more floor habitat and prevents its destruction by dragging the south poses an unprecedented threat to ecosys- generally from globalization. If the political leaders of fleets. It is time to develop binding global agreements tems and to a way of life in the far north. Thirty years the world cared as much about climate change as to ban the use of high seas draggers and maintain in- from now, unless current "Markets First" policies are they do about intellectual property rights, we would shore fishing fleets with community based fishery reversed, we are likely to see a very different Arctic. have reversed the dangerous trends of climate change conservation plans. Its role in global environment terms could prove criti- a decade ago. Immediate steps to reduce greenhouse cal in the menace of what is so benignly known as gas emissions include reducing reliance on coal for Question 5. Arctic nations must speak with one "positive feed-back loops." If the permafrost melts at electricity production, shifting transportation policies voice. The Inuit Circumpolar Conference and the accelerating rates, the release of millennia's worth of in industrialized urban centres to mass transit and Arctic Council are important institutions in working on stored methane could spur even faster rates of warm- moving toward maximizing energy efficiency while an ecosystem basis across national lines. Urban resi- ing. Melting glaciers and ice could impact northern shifting to renewable and sustainable energy sources. dents of the over-consuming industrialized nations cities with rising sea levels. Although a run-away- must learn of the damage being wrought to Arctic res- Elizabeth May greenhouse effect is not likely, it is a possible outcome Question 3. The recently negotiated Convention on idents and ecosystems. The connection between driv- of our current reliance on fossil fuels. The projections has worked over thirty years Persistent Organic Pollutants is an important first step. ing an SUV to a supermarket to buy products made for the protection of the for 2-times carbon dioxide atmospheric concentrations Nations must ratify it so it may enter into force as with the use of POPs and the devastation of Arctic environment and wild places are not worse case scenarios. Unfortunately, we are soon as possible. It is critical that we work to de-toxify environments can help change behaviour in the of Nova Scotia, Canada and playing a deadly game of Russian roulette with the our world. The wombs of Arctic mothers must no wasteful southern cities. One strong example of reach- the world. Ms. May is climate globally, in which the Arctic ecosystem may longer be contaminated areas. We must all globally ing non-northerners with a powerful message is the executive director of the Sierra shift from being a net victim of climate change address the inequity of the disproportionate poisoning video "Inuit Observations of Climate Change." The Club of Canada, impacts to a net source of further emissions. of Arctic residents. documentary, a project of the International Institute www.sierraclub.ca/ for Sustainable Development, is based on a process of She is also a member of the Question 2. To effectively avoid the most cata- Question 4. Every major fishery in the world is appreciative inquiry in the community of Sachs board of Institute for strophic impacts of global climate change, the Kyoto under stress. It is clear that modern fishing technology Harbour on Banks Island. The Inuit residents speak International Sustainable Protocol must be ratified and implemented by all the very powerfully of the rapidly changing environment Development (IISD). exceeds the management tools of even the most Annex 1 nations and steps to move beyond it negoti- advanced nations. Canada, with wealth and vast sci- as the impacts of increasing greenhouse gas concen- ated more aggressively. The tools and levers of multi- entific expertise, oversaw the destruction of one of the trations hit the Arctic. lateral agreements, such as those protecting intellectu- world's richest fisheries, the Northern Cod Stocks of 14 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002 A new world of walls

Exploitation of wildlife and land drives the Arctic and its elite erosion, and a historic retreat of Arctic ice and all marginal seas and Security first core of economic and government leaders. The harsh climate, the central Arctic Ocean. 2032 combined with great distances from the markets, provides the only limiting factors for industrial development. Some sites in the Arctic have become dangerous to human health, due to chemical contamination. Diseases have uch is the reality in 2032, under the Security First scenario spread with the introduction of new workers from the from the Global Environment Outlook 2002 report. It is a south. Snew world of wars and of greater inequality between rich and poor. Anarchy threatens the rule of law and democratic institutions The Arctic Council has failed to promote circum- in large parts of the world. polar well-being and co-operation. Instead, 2002 Council members concentrate on their own Multinational companies have the control of the oil, natural gas and countries. Ultimately, an elite group of com- water in the Arctic. International rulings demand that Arctic coun- mercial stakeholders rules the Arctic scene, Ahlenius, tries open their gates to competitive trade, and previous global com- and some geographical regions are subjected Hugo mitments by the Arctic are set aside. One bright spot is the mining to ruthless exploitation. of methane crystals from the ocean. This is providing an expensive but alternate energy supply. Local indigenous people have become increasingly marginalized, due to industrialised Market demand drives the exploitation of wildlife, including covet- nations influx. Capital is filtered south to the ed endangered species. Fishing rights have been unilaterally sus- centres of power and into the pockets of wealthy UNEP/GRID-Arendal, pended to all but the Arctic states, but over-fishing has taken its toll. Arctic nationals. Some indigenous communities , Many populations of resident fish, bird and mammal species are join forces with multinational companies, although still threatened by (among other things) persistent organic pollu- they have been displaced from their traditional OBIO GL tants and can no longer be eaten by humans. Unplanned urban homelands due to extreme environmental events. clustering fragments the areas where wildlife lives. Many people have gained economic independence but their existence has nonetheless become unstable. The Global Climate Treaty has collapsed and greenhouse gases have been released globally at unprecedented rates. There has Tourism continues to grow but most of the income from this been massive permafrost thawing; glacial retreat; extensive shore industry stays in the hands of multinational tourism industry. Strong government and strict laws

Thirty years from now, a modest but stable sport and trophy Multinationals will reach agreements with local people, about not only hunting enterprise will thrive in the Arctic. The sport is allowed to cash outlays and the promise of long-term local employment in go on as a result of a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling. This exchange for exploration and production claims, but also result in part ruling states that any trade must be based on solid, scientifically ownership and sharing rights. This means that although production proven wildlife population data and statistics. becomes mechanised, the Arctic people are now fully employed because of the diverse Arctic economy. Sectors like transpolar trans- Dr. Claude Martin limited but sustained hunting practice in the Arctic, as an exam- portation, communications, tourism and higher education and health has been the Director General of WWF International since 1993 ple of growing environmental laws and regimes, is one of the are employing local people now. Aresults of the Policy First scenario from the Global Environment Outlook 2002 report. More political power will be transferred to the Modernity has washed over the Arctic too, and the pre-2002 cultural Arctic people, and environmental pressures on the Arctic’s plants and and visual traditional lifestyles will be increasingly multicultural and animals will have decreased significantly in this future. wired to the global community. Question 1. Market First and Policy First The controversial case today about Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuge have clearly proven to be ineffective. The Policy first trade-offs do not guarantee the kind of sus- and the attempts to drill for oil and gas will not be much of an issue 2032 tainability that scenario four (Sustainability in 2032. The United States court will rule out any drilling for oil or First) would offer. Sustainability will have to gas in protected areas, until scientifically irrefutable evidence has become the paradigm of the future integrating been brought forward, showing that there will be no important economic, social and environmental concerns. wildlife and habitat loss. I am personally convinced that the next decades will demonstrate that the sustainabil- In the cold seas of the Arctic, commercial fishing is still ity paradigm is the only way we can guaran- going on. But a total collapse of any fish stock has tee a future for the Arctic environment and its been avoided by employing stringent harvesting quo- people, and indeed, stability for the planet as a whole. tas, limited entry schemes and by enforcing bilater- al regimes. And the Arctic still serves as a key indi- Question 2. The most obvious and urgent cator of global climate change. Visible effects of response is to reduce CO2 emissions as decades of warming, on land and sea, are seen all quickly as somehow possible. WWF's most over the Arctic, though there has been a signifi- urgent "ask" at WSSD is for governments to cant reduction of long-range transport of pollution establish a global target of 10% of primary to the Arctic. Responsible planning decisions energy supply from new renewable sources have prevailed and wildlife areas have remained by 2010. This, as well as ensuring sufficient more or less intact because of improved effective- ratifications for entry into force of the Kyoto ness in protected areas management. Protocol will go a long way as first steps to reversing the already disastrous effects of climate change. However, given the long lag More power to the people of the north time between reduction of emissions and The Arctic Council, which was established in 1996, reversal of deleterious effects, these measures will have significant impact on policy decisions and will not prevent the devastating effects will co-operate strongly with several NGO’s - such as already occurring in the Arctic. We must con- the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, RAIPON, the Saami centrate efforts on mitigation strategies that Council and the World Wide Fund for nature. This team focus particularly on securing the livelihoods effort will result in strong educational opportunities and of indigenous communities. raise awareness of several business associations, providing 2002 local enterprises with an opening to the global markets. Question 3. The problem of POPs must be UNEP/GRID-Arendal,

, addressed at its root cause dispersion. Ahlenius, A David-and-Goliath fight between indigenous people in the Arctic Therefore, another priority for WWF at WSSD OBIO

and multinational entrepreneurs will be a two-way bonus deal. GL Hugo August 2002 - THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES 15

is to ensure enough ratifications Question 1-2: During the next thirty years the Arctic is Global Environment Facility. of the Stockholm POPs conven- forced to struggle with impacts caused by climate change. tion for entry into force in The Outlook rightly emphasizes, that the positive effects of AMAP will deliver its second report on the state of the Arctic 2002. However, due to the even immediate decelerating actions by the international environment to the Arctic Council ministerial meeting in resilience of POPs and the high community, such as the implementation of the Kyoto proto- October, in Inari, in the northernmost part of Finland. This levels already existing in the col, will be apparent much later. There will be a need in the report is expected to confirm the urgent need for further Arctic, the primary objective Arctic for adaptation to new climate conditions, including global and regional actions to eliminate pollutants, such as must be to protect Arctic com- emergency prevention and preparedness. POPs and mercury. The report will include data on some munities from further exposure, POPs not covered by the Stockholm Convention, such as the even if this comes at the cost of Unfortunately, the Kyoto accord has led to a split among the brominated flame-retardants. In the coming years we will see some of their traditional cus- Arctic States. The Nordic countries together with the a need to include new POPs in the convention and develop toms with regard to nutrition. European Union and Japan have ratified the protocol in a an international regulation on mercury. concerted effort to lessen the effects of climate change. In Question 4. Of primary impor- Finland we hope that Canada and the Russian Federation Question 4: Sustainable use of natural resources, among tance with regard to overfishing will be able to ratify the protocol in the near future. The U.S. them the Arctic fish-stock, has a crucial significance in many of Arctic fish stocks is to redress Climate Action Report 2002 is hopefully an important step Arctic regional economies and serves as the basis for the tra- harmful fishing subsidies and forward in narrowing the differences of views among Arctic ditional way of life of many Arctic indigenous communities. ensure the reduction of over- Peter Stenlund partners. Overexploitation is a problem in many areas. Strong meas- capitalized fishing fleets. Chair of the Senior Arctic ures should be adapted to eliminate IUU (illegal, unreported, Secondly, stricter regulation of Officials, Finland The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), the most unregulated) fishing. The application of the ecosystem pernicious fishing methods such important single project of the Arctic Council, approach should be one of the key elements in fisheries as bottom trawling must be management. Participation of all stakeholders should be fur- introduced and enforced. is expected to result in recommendations for actions among ther encouraged and enhanced. Thirdly, Marine Protected Areas Arctic states, regional authorities, indigenous communities must become a priority for the and other Arctic stakeholders, with a focus on capacity Question 5: The Outlook is discussing the future role of governments of coastal nations. building. the Arctic Council within the four scenarios. It should be Fishing no-take zones must be kept in mind the Council is taking action only on the basis of established in order for stocks unanimous decision-making. This means that the Council to recover. The Outlook indicates that exploitation of Arctic resources such as oil, gas and minerals is speeding up. It is realistic to reflects the combined political will of the Member States, recognize the strong demand for these resources and focus which certainly will be influenced by the indigenous Arctic Question 5. First and fore- the efforts on the need to develop regulations, which safe- organisations, regional authorities, NGOs, international most, the insidious threats to guard indispensable habitats and minimize the harmful organisations etc. In many areas, such as trade, the Arctic the Arctic environment caused effects on the environment and traditional industries in the Council may have only a consultative role, keeping in mind by climate change and toxic Arctic regions. International and regional cooperation may the competence of the World Trade Organization and the role pollutants must become better assist Arctic states in developing such regulations as well as of the European Commission as the actor on behalf of the known to the world. Awareness benefit sharing mechanisms for indigenous and other local European Union, including its Arctic Member States. For building through targeted cam- people. commercially important species such as fish and marine paigns is one tool to be used. mammals, there are international protection regimes in place That said, communications outside the Arctic Council. As the environmental future of the should not only focus on melt- Question 3: The global Stockholm Convention on Arctic is largely determined outside the region, by global ing ice but more importantly on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is one of the major developments, the role of the Arctic Council as a circumpolar the direct threats to the liveli- achievements at the international level. All eight Arctic states voice at the international arena should not be underestimat- hoods of the Arctic peoples. The have signed the convention and are cooperating with the ed. Coordination and exchange of information among Arctic Arctic Council must be rein- aim to facilitate its implementation in the Arctic regions. states at international forums have evolved during the forced in order to be able to Arctic states have also committed themselves to support the Finnish chairmanship and should take place also in the tackle these needs as well. developing countries in actions aimed at the abandoning of the use of these harmful substances, in cooperation with the future. A sustainable Arctic future

Hunting is widely restricted and mostly ing the new global sustainability paradigm. limited to indigenous people’s needs. The Through its observer groups, strong Arctic net- Sustainability first public does not tolerate poaching. works exit in 2032, and a conservation and 2032 development plan for the Arctic is drafted his is a fact under the nature-friendly sce- and partly implemented. The plan nario, Sustainability First from the Global consists of a system of protected TEnvironment Outlook 3 report. The world areas-, which ensure the contin- has embraced international co-operation rather uing survival, and develop- than competition, which also characterises Arctic ment of biodiversity. development. Government efforts to Several species of whales have been protected preserve traditional from any kind of harvest. Sustainable fishing, lifestyles of the Arctic forestry, mining and domestic reindeer and cari- people are strong. It is 2002 bou herding are being done with minimum envi- recognised that local ronmental damage. Strong environmental ethics communities are Ahlenius, and legislation prohibit over-exploitation of Arctic closest to the

animals, plants and soil. Penalties for abuse are resources, and Hugo severe and enforced and practices such as trawl- therefore environ- ing are outlawed in most communities. A much mental manage- cleaner and ecologically friendly environment is ment cannot be the result of global treaties, which are in place done without the and abided by. involvement of these communities. UNEP/GRID-Arendal,

The Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Education is consid- , Passage are open longer because of melting ice, ered a priority and OBIO

which again has been attributed to climate the Arctic is now the GL change. Many strategies help the Arctic to adapt centre of several spe- to thinner permafrost layers; an elevated sea cialised environmental level, and longer seasons with open water. indigenous and resource Climate change remains a management chal- economics programs of lenge. study.

On the business side, no company is allowed to Nature and culture based exploit the Arctic resources without a license and tourism is thriving and provides the regulatory regime is strong and accepted. jobs and income for many Arctic Some companies even agree to voluntarily aban- communities. There is circumpolar co- don their old-fashioned enterprises. operation among the tourism providers and an Arctic Tourism Commission has developed Local people have the power guidelines. The Arctic Council is a strong player in promot- 16 THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT TIMES - August 2002 An Inuit Vision for WSSD

In August 2002, Canadian Inuit hosted the al and global scale. New and meaningful part- contrary. We must show that we are Inuit Circumpolar Conference General nerships are at the heart of moving sustainable resilient, in the case of the Arctic; we are a Assembly in Kuujjuaq a small town in development forward in our homelands and culturally diverse region, home to numerous northern Quebec, Canada. elsewhere. Indigenous peoples, and an emerging geopolitical region of growing importance to his Assembly is held every four years in The Arctic was virtually ignored in the debate the world. We adapted to monumental one of the four countries Inuit occupy leading up to and culminating at Rio de change in the past and we will again. Tnamely; Canada, the United States Janiero in 1992. The Arctic is not mentioned (Alaska), Greenland and Russia. The theme of in Agenda 21. Yet, in the last 10 years Arctic The World Summit on Sustainable this year’s Assembly is “Inuit Voice issues have climbed up the political agenda, in Development is an important opportunity Enlightening the world”, which is timely, con- part, as the South seeks our energy and min- for us all. Inuit and all indigenous peoples sidering that one-week later Inuit leaders will eral resources, contemplates Arctic shipping to have much to give the global community be in Johannesburg bringing an Inuit vision of link western Europe, eastern Asia, and North and also much to learn from experiences sustainability to the global community. America, and as human health and environ- elsewhere. mental concerns such as persistent organic Indigenous peoples everywhere face many pollutants and climate change are framed in a challenges in finding their place in the new global context. We welcome the attention to The face of sustainable world order of globalization. A place that these issues of crucial importance to us in the development for the affords our peoples self-respect and security, Arctic as it allows us to ensure our traditional next decade is and one in which we contribute to the well knowledge, perspectives, expectations, and an indigenous face being of others. Our voices have not always recommendations on economic, cultural, been heard; our contribution and value not social, and environmental issues are clear. always recognized nor appreciated. We have Let us use the WSSD process to ensure that had to fight hard to be heard. The Arctic is a barometer of the global effects Indigenous peoples concerns from the of climate change, ozone depletion, and long- Arctic Circle to the tip of Tierra del Fuego, When indigenous peoples work in isolation, range transboundary contaminants – an indi- are included in the eventual outcomes many challenges are insurmountable and cator global health. A wake up call for many. endorsed by ministers in Johannesburg. Let us Sheila Watt-Cloutier is from Kuujjuq and now many common goals unattainable. But ensure the face of Johannesburg; the face of resides in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Ms. Watt-Cloutier through partnerships and accepting differenti- We must not, however, portray the Arctic and sustainable development for the next decade is is the President of the Inuit Circumpolar ated responsibilities I believe sustainable its residents nor any indigenous peoples as an indigenous face. Conference Canada. development is achievable at the local, region- powerless victims of global forces. Quite the UNEP and the Arctic

The mission of UNEP is rctic ecosystems, be it on land or Many chemicals released to air or Arctic’s people as well as for the glob- GRID-Arendal has been UNEP’s key to provide leadership and in water, are vulnerable for distur- water by activities in Europe and al community at large. For these obvi- polar centre since 1999, with a par- encourage partnership in Abances and for exploitation of their North-America accumulate in the High ous reasons UNEP is increasing its ticular focus on environmental assess- caring for the environment renewable and non-renewable North. Hazardous substances may focus on environmental conservation ment and early warning in the Arctic. by inspiring, informing resources. Airborne pollution from coun- lead to genetic defects, and may result linked to sustainable development in Together with our strategic partners and enabling nations and tries far away into the Arctic affects liv- in metabolic changes, reduced fertility, the Arctic. we will strive to convey the impor- people to improve quality ing organisms ranging from lichens to and cancer. Nervous systems and tance of Arctic environmental protec- of life without compromis- polar bears, and global warming and muscle functions may also be affect- Our strategy is to cooperate closely tion into decision-making processes, ing that of future genera- depletion of the ozone layer may have ed. All in all, such pollutants may seri- with key stakeholders such as the ranging from the local to the global tions. An important part serious negative impacts for future gen- ously affect the health and welfare of Arctic Council, the Arctic Indigenous levels. An important part of this is to of this work is to keep erations. These threats are a result of a entire Arctic communities. The Peoples’ organisations, Arctic provide updated and reliable informa- under review the state of range of global activities, and the small Stockholm Convention on Persistent Parliamentarians, the Arctic research tion. This Arctic Environmental News the global environment, to population of the Arctic’s indigenous Organic Pollutants (POPs), negotiated communities, and the NGOs. Many of is a part of this effort. assess global and regional people can do very little, if anything, under the auspices of UNEP, and the articles in this newspaper are environmental trends in about it. The fact that the resources of expected to come into force in 2004, based upon the Arctic part order to provide early the Arctic are of extreme sets out control measures that address of UNEP’s latest Global warning information importance and value the production, import, export, dispos- Environment Outlook GEO 3 Published by UNEP-GRID Arendal on environmental for the outside al, and use of POPs. and our contribution on the Longum Park, Service Box 706, threats, and to world, but also Arctic in GEO 3 is a result of N-4808 Arendal, Norway. report to decision- that the Arctic’s The health and well being of the close cooperation with all Tel: +47 37 03 57 14 makers and other small popula- Arctic’s indigenous peoples is probably our stakeholders. This win- Fax: +47 37 03 50 50 stakeholders in for- tion, numbering one of the best indicators on sustain- win collaboration gives e-mail: [email protected] mats that are easily less than 4 million able development in the Arctic. UNEP access to the best accessible and people, cannot reap UNEP's support and co-operation with available and most credible Editorial team: Kathrine I. Johnsen, easy to under- the economic and indigenous peoples is an important data and assessments of the Thor S. Larsen, Marianne Hartz and stand. social benefits part of our Arctic agenda. In Arctic Arctic environment and Lars Kullerud from resource Russia, life expectancy for the indige- opens a UN channel for our Assisted by: Anna Balance, Tracey Tailor use, represent nous peoples are 20 years lower than collaborators where sustain- and Wendy Kristianasen political and for the average Russian, and among able environment in the Layout: François Prosper moral dilem- the Mansi there are no known people Arctic is put into a global mas. of retirement age. This should call for context. The designations employed and the pre- serious concerns, and is an example sentations do not imply the expression of why it is important for UNEP to priori- As a partner in the GEF, any opinion whatsoever on the part of tise its work on indigenous people UNEP may provide financial UNEP, GRID-Arendal or cooperating agen- of the North. resources to cover incremen- cies concerning the legal status of any tal costs of environmental country, territory, city or area of its author- Deterioration of the Arctic envi- projects in the Arctic. We ities or of the delineation of its frontiers or ronment as a result of climatic have currently under devel- boundaries. Mention of a commercial changes may have severe conse- opment and implementation company or product in this paper does quences for us all. Possible changes in several projects in Arctic not imply endorsement by UNEP or the paths and flows of major ocean Russia addressing POP’s, GRID-Arendal. The use of information currents is but one example. A non- biodiversity, climate change from this publication concerning propri- sustainable development in the Arctic and protection of the marine etary products for publicity or advertising may furthermore disrupt important and terrestrial environments, is not permitted. renewable resources such as fish amounting to a total of 40 Svein Tveitdal stocks in the Arctic seas, and may million USD, and where the Printed at Agderposten Trykk Managing Director affect unique biodiversity and wilder- GEF contribution is close to 8th August 2002 - 2000 copies GRID-Arendal ness areas that are of benefits to the 50%.