Arctic on the Edge

The COP 15 climate conference was of critical importance to both WWF’s Artic Programme goals and the world as a whole. Containing powerful imagery of the Artic, this highly visible presence leading up to and during the negotiations served as a constant reminder to delegates and media that we must all must take urgent and decisive action, and that the governments at this meeting must lead the way.

‘The Arctic is one of the last places where humans have stepped lightly enough to avoid major changes to the environment. That is now under threat, as the virtual footprint of millions of people around the world is being tracked across the Arctic by climate change.

Nowhere on Earth are the effects of global warming more apparent and alarming than in our polar regions. Thinning and retreat of the Arctic sea ice and the thawing of frozen ground are on track to unleash a torrent of climate change feedbacks that will wash away ecosystems that have evolved over thousands of years. These same climate feedbacks will also amplify global warming to levels dangerous to life in many parts of the world far removed from the Arctic.

As the ice recedes, more accessible Arctic lands and waters will increase world-wide competition for resources that are becoming scarcer in the south, leading to more commercial and military activity that could further threaten an already fragile ecosystem. We need to take action now to protect the Arctic – and the livelihoods of the people who live there. Firstly, we must slow the impacts of climate change, and secondly, we must try to find ways to buffer the impacts of climate change. Only by doing both will we give natural systems in the Arctic a chance to survive.

This exhibition reminds us of the values that stand to be lost in the Arctic and shows us some of the emerging threats.’

To find out more about WWF’s Artic Programme click here.