Arctic Bulletin No 1.07 • PUBLISHED BY THE WWF I nte R N Ati O N A L AR C T I C P RO G RA MME The way of the reindeer p. 12–13 Arctic view on latest global climate report p. 4–5, p. 16–17 Summer sea ice gone by 2040? p. 6 Pressure on Greenland’s narwhals p. 8 Canadian tar sands and the Arctic p. 21–22 2 WWF ARCTIC BULLETIN • No. 1.07 Contents l Bush lifts drilling ban in Alaska’s Bristol Bay p. 11 l Rapid climate change and the sea ice ecosystem p. 14–16 Sustainable livelihoods in Kamchatka p. 12–13 l l Hunting of Chukotka’s polar bears? p. 9 l Pipeline assessment must include how gas will be used p. 10 l What in tar nation? p. 21–22 l IPCC and the Arctic p. 4–5 l Intense period of polar research p. 8 Ice-free arctic summers by 2040? p. 6–7 l l Populations of polar bear in decline p. 9 Winter sea ice close to record low p. 6 l l Interview: Arctic view on global climate report p. 16–17 l Time for action p. 20–21 Massive ice sheet breaks away p. 7 l l WWF and Canon join forces on Polar Bear Tracker p. 23 l Greenland’s narwhals still in trouble p. 8 l Whaling undermines whale watching in Iceland p. 18–19 l WWF assists with Norwegian oil spill p. 10 l New director for the WWF International Arctic Programme p. 6 The Arctic Bulletin Publisher: Programme Design and production: Cover: A young man in is published quarterly by the WWF WWF International Director: Film & Form/Ketill Berger Kamchatka learns how to herd International Arctic Programme. Arctic Programme Neil Hamilton [email protected] reindeer as part of a WWF Reproduction and quotation with PO Box 6784 [email protected] project to provide locals with appropriate credit are encouraged. St Olavs plass Date of publication: sustainable livelihoods based on Articles by non-affiliated sources do not N-0130 Oslo, Norway Editor: February 1st, 2007 traditional lifestyles. necessarily reflect the views or policies Ph: +47 22 03 65 00 Nigel Allan ISSN 1023-9081 Photo: Laura Williams, of WWF. Send change of address and Fax: +47 22 20 06 66 [email protected] WWF-Russia subscription queries to the address on Internet: www.panda.org/arctic the right. We reserve the right to edit Associate editor: Printed at Merkur-Trykk AS letters for publication, and assume no Emma Duncan on 100% recycled paper. responsibility for unsolicited material. Please include name, title and, address with all correspondence. WWF ARCTIC BULLETIN • No. 1.07 3 Editorial A new age for the Arctic he winds of change are blowing in the Arctic. ground already know: we are seeing major changes Record after record is being ‘set’ as each new in ecosystem structure and function in the Arctic as a scientific paper catalogues decreases in ice area, result of climate change, with global implications. ice thickness, and glacier melting, together with The much talked about ‘positive feedbacks’ and dramatic increases in temperature, river flow, ‘thresholds’ may already be occurring. There is Tand incidence of new southern species appearing at increasing evidence of more rapid higher latitudes. disappearance of snow and sea ice Similarly, there is record public interest in the cover in some areas (e.g., Siberia, Arctic as a result of the obvious impacts of climate Alaska, the Greenland Sea) leading change. Newspapers all over the world have almost to further climate change through daily coverage of yet another arctic ‘catastrophe’. To decreased sunlight reflection (the use an Australian colloquialism: even Blind Freddy albedo effect) and insulation effects. could not ignore what is happening! The basic physics of the magnifica- There are also significant shifts in the flavour of tion of global temperature rises in arctic governance with the Arctic Council secre- the Arctic (up to a factor of three Dr NEIL tariat moving to Scandinavia and strongly renewed times, but consistently double over HAMILTON geopolitical interest in the region from many of the the past several decades) indicate Director, ‘great powers’. This is a new age for the Arctic, one that enormous efforts are required WWF International in which the arctic nations, peoples, and organisa- in the Arctic and, more importantly, Arctic Programme tions such as WWF can work together to create a around the world. [email protected] sustainable future – or an age in which change in the Beyond these effects, we must Arctic results in a merciless rush to extract its finite now also take seriously the poten- resources at the expense of the world. tial for processes that were previously regarded as In such a dynamic context I feel quite humbled improbable – including massive releases of methane writing my first editorial as director of the WWF from melting permafrost and currently solid deposits International Arctic Programme following in the on the seafloor – which would hugely increase the footsteps of two highly experienced, committed, and amount of this powerful greenhouse gas in the successful advocates for arctic conservation. The atmosphere. respect and influence WWF enjoys in the region Such issues raise many challenges, not least the is largely due to the efforts of Samantha Smith need to engage even more strongly with the scientific and Peter Prokosch, and those of their staff and community, the nations who govern the region, the colleagues around the world. peoples who live in and use the Arctic, and indeed In spite of this work the necessity of achieving real, the wider global community. resilience-building outcomes in the Arctic is now We need to think carefully about appropriate urgent and daunting. Much more than simply the conservation strategies, governance regimes, and ‘canary in the coal mine’ of global climate change, ways to deal with the myriad of complex and inter- the Arctic is the region where much of the world’s acting issues, often originating far from their points future may be decided over the coming decades. That of impact. Importantly we need to learn to better future will focus on our response to human-induced speak many ‘languages’, including those of busi- climate change. ness, media, politics, and science, to communicate The WWF Network and its partners are very well the burning need for action. Practical solutions are placed to shape the directions, decisions, and strate- needed now at local and global scales and cannot be gies that will be adopted. achieved by WWF alone. The process of shaping this future cannot just be The intrinsic values of the Arctic and the imme- based on a continuation of past activities. The Arctic diate threats to these values and to the rest of the is now a global political issue and should remain world are sobering. However if we want to maintain one into the future. As I write, the Summary for a stable world, we have no alternative but to find Policymakers of the IPCC Working Group II (Impacts solutions. Together, let us make it happen in the and Adaptation) is being debated, with early drafts Arctic, and bring to life WWF’s slogan: For a Living echoing what most of those with an ear to the Planet. News WWF ARCTIC BULLETIN • No. 1.07 CLIMATE CHANGE COLLEGE 2007 Year two of the B&J’s Climate Change College (in which WWF is a partner) IPCC and the Arctic is under way, with six ambassadors chosen from he latest report from the Intergovernmental in areas such as the Bering Sea (see box the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presents below). and Germany. The College Ta dire outlook for the Arctic and the rest If climate change continues along the offers 18–30 year olds of the planet unless something drastic is scenario trajectories projected by the IPCC, the chance to educate done to curb greenhouse gas emissions. then some arctic species, especially the top- themselves about the causes The IPCC report confirms much of level predators, could decline or disappear and politics of, and potential what is already known about the current altogether. solutions for, climate and projected impacts of climate change in IPCC experts state clearly that some climate change with an emphasis on the Arctic. Over the last few decades, arctic change is already unavoidable, but that there developing their own climate surface air temperatures have warmed at is still time to protect against some of the most change campaign. Each of around twice the global rate and major disastrous effects. This response must come as the ambassadors is tasked ecosystem shifts are beginning to be seen part of a broad and rapid change of develop- with using their personal experience to reach a wider audience. This could be through journalism, public Example climate change impacts in the Arctic*: speaking, or other kind of event. Their ultimate goal is to inspire carbon emissions reductions as well as the tangible goal of signing up 500 new e-campaigners for WWF. Read more about the College as well as the ambassador’s blogs at: www. climatechangecollege.org ORCAS ATTRacTED TO WARMER ARCTIC WATERS? Orcas (or killer whales) appear to be showing up in greater numbers and staying longer in Hudson Bay, Canada. Jeff Higdon, a graduate student at the University of Manitoba working with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, told Reuters: “For a number of years, Inuit hunters in the eastern Arctic have been reporting Hudson Bay: fewer polar bear cubs Nortern Siberia: methane emissions that the number of killer whales is increasing.” The reason for their appearance is still unknown, although ■Increased shoreline erosion already seen on Arctic ■In both the Arctic and Antarctic, climate change Higdon noted that there was Ocean & Beaufort Sea coasts due to climate warming will lead to reduced habitat (including sea ice) for a “significant correlation” (1970–2000 relative to 1954–1970).