Environment Facts Oil Spilled from Exxon Valdez 1989 11 million gallons Components of Arctic Haze Sulphates, soot, & dust Worst Nuclear Disaster Chernobyl (1986) Avg. 30 yr warming of Arctic Region 1.5°C # of sea birds caught in fishing nets 300,000 per year # of Tourists visits annually About 1.5 million Maximum ozone losses 25% to 40% over Greenland, Siberia, & N. Europe Free E-Newsletter Receive Arctic News, Weather and Travel Information Click Here! Did you know? The Arctic is not always as pristine as it looks; contaminants appearing in air, land, and water are also collecting in many species of wildlife. The ecological "footprint" of human settlements, including cities, towns and mining or oil exploration camps, can disturb ecosystems up to 25 miles away. The Arctic environment is more vulnerable to oil pollution than more temperate regions because oil breaks down more slowly under cold and dark conditions. Overfishing that took place hundreds if not thousands of years ago still affects coastal marine ecosystems today.

Environmental Issues
of the Arctic Region

Despite the variety of life in the Arctic, the environment is a fragile one, and it takes very little to destroy its delicate balance. Yet, in comparison with most other areas of the world, the Arctic remains clean and mostly undisturbed. Humans are having an increasingly noticeable impact, however, and in places where extensive pollution has occurred or valuable resources depleted, the damage caused may take many centuries to repair.

The Arctic environment is affected by several factors which often act in combination to threaten biodiversity. Direct impacts include: building development, pollution from local and distant sources, commercial forestry, nuclear testing, overfishing and overhunting, oil and gas exploration, mining, overgrazing, and tourism. Indirect disturbance of species and habitats have been caused by the effects of climate change, acid precipitation, and by increased ultraviolet radiation. These circumstances sometimes occur on a local scale, but in some cases may be regional, circumpolar, or even global in extent.

Environmental issues in the Arctic have become increasingly contentious in recent decades as the quest for valuable resources expands ever northward. Disputes over oil and gas drilling, nuclear power plants, timber harvesting, and commercial fishery practices have attracted much international attention and debate. Environmental organizations have stressed the importance of maintaining biodiversity and respecting traditional subsistence lifestyles.

Several international agreements have been signed in efforts to reduce damage to fragile Arctic ecosystems. The program for the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF - 1996), for example, is a plege by the eight countries of the Arctic Council to protect a minimum of 12 per cent of each Arctic biome.

One thing is sure: changes to Arctic ecosystems can have profound consequences. For the terrestrial environment, changes in permafrost, snow cover and ice caps will be important to monitor. Vital links (i.e. key species) in the marine food web must be preserved in order to maintain ecosystem health. Traditional human subsistence lifestyles vulnerable to the loss of biological diversity must be protected. The coming decade may help shed light on how the Arctic will respond to environmental change.