Editorial: The Arctic doesn’t have another 30 years to wait

This very special issue of The Circle celebrates the 30th anniversary of the WWF Arctic Programme. The programme was created in 1992 as a way to work with partners to combat threats to the Arctic and sustainably preserve its rich biodiversity.

Much has been achieved together with many partners over the past 30 years—but the best efforts of many institutions have not been enough to fully counter the human pressures and impacts. Perceived as one of the toughest and most unconquerable places on Earth, the Arctic has been altered by human activity more than just about any other.

The trends are worrying and there is no room for complacency. The Arctic’s climate is warming nearly three times more quickly than the rest of the planet, causing extensive habitat destruction and declines in species such as narwhals, polar bears and walrus. Between 1979 and 2019, sea ice in the region receded by 43 per cent. At the same time, shipping has increased—and more vessels mean greater risks to Arctic ecosystems and wildlife.

Humans living in the Arctic are affected, too. Permafrost temperatures have risen to record levels in the past 30 years, leading to thaws that threaten the stability of roads, buildings and other infrastructure. Coastal erosion in many parts of the Arctic is forcing whole communities to leave their homes. And the effects of Arctic change are also felt far beyond the region. With Arctic temperatures predicted to rise by 3°C to 10°C by the end of the century, the region’s role as the “global refrigerator”—a vault of ice and carbon—will diminish, exacerbating global impacts from rising sea levels and temperatures.

Despite these dramatic changes, not enough has been done in the past 30 years to slow or halt the worsening crisis. Today more than ever before, we are calling for urgent action on climate change and the loss of nature at a regional and global level, while striving to guarantee human equity and prosperity.

Here in the Arctic, the current combination of threats requires responsible and bold stewardship that sets aside national interests. Arctic governments need to work with communities using science-based, Indigenous and local knowledge to conserve, protect and sustainably manage Arctic ecosystems and to alleviate the impacts that are shattering Arctic wildlife and communities alike.

At a global level, one of our key priorities right now is to ensure world leaders agree on a global plan of action for nature at the crucial UN Convention on Biological Diversity summit later this year. We need this agreement to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 and deliver a nature-positive world so that there is more nature by the end of the decade, not less. That has to apply globally, and particularly to the most affected regions by human activities, such as the Arctic.

This is also where biodiversity and climate meet. To be nature-positive, we must stabilize climate change and keep the global temperature rise below 1.5°C, the point at which the most catastrophic climate impacts become inevitable. And we also know that we can’t win our battle on climate change without halting nature loss and preserving nature’s ability to sequester carbon.

What the Arctic will look like 30 years from now will be shaped by the decisions we take today and the actions we take in the coming decade to turn the tide against climate change and biodiversity loss. Many of the changes we are already witnessing today are irreversible. But together, we can still avoid catastrophe and secure a future for Arctic nature, Arctic peoples and the rest of humanity who rely on it.