© Siobhan McDonaldvia imaggeo.egu.eu. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
A slow-moving disaster
The pollution polar vortex
The environmental movement was born out of the recognition that pollutants were harming our planet. As long ago as the early 1960s, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring awakened the world to the dangers of pesticides—and the resulting wave of environmental activism led to landmark policies tackling pollution. But as BECKY CHAPLIN-KRAMER writes, pollution is now overshadowed by the climate crisis in many global discussions, and nowhere is this oversight more apparent than in the Arctic.
As the Arctic warms nearly four times faster than the rest of the planet, the impact of pollution on biodiversity, Indigenous communities, and food security is escalating to a breaking point.
The Arctic is often perceived as a remote, untouched wilderness. But in reality, it is a sink for pollutants originating thousands of miles away. I was surprised to learn this when I first began researching transboundary biodiversity risks, and my own ignorance on the topic coincides with how little attention this crisis receives internationally.
Pollution is one of the five main drivers of biodiversity loss, but it has received little study compared to the others. This lack of attention belies the severity of the issue. Air and ocean currents funnel industrial and agricultural pollutants—including heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and radionuclides—into the region, where they have been accumulating on frozen surfaces for decades. Now, as Arctic ice melts and ground thaws, these once-trapped toxins are being released into the environment, spreading through food webs and water sources.
The Arctic is experiencing a convergence of stressors: pollution, climate change, habitat disruption and declining biodiversity. Each amplifies the other.
— Becky Chaplin-Kramer, Global Biodiversity Lead Scientist, WWF
Pollution pathways’ impacts
One particularly concerning pathway is that of migratory birds. Species that travel vast distances accumulate contaminants from agricultural and industrial landscapes in southern areas and carry them to Arctic breeding grounds. Research has found that pollution concentrations in seabird guano can be up to 60 times higher than in the surrounding Arctic environment. These pollutants find their way into Arctic ecosystems, where they are taken up by invertebrates and fish, with cascading effects up the food chain.
Permafrost is another major pathway. As it thaws, mercury and other long-buried toxins enter Arctic rivers, raising contamination levels in fish that are later consumed by both wildlife and Indigenous communities. This phenomenon is particularly alarming, given that pollutants now travel faster and farther than before. The melting of glaciers exacerbates the problem, unleashing pollutants that have been trapped since the peak industrial emissions of the 20th century.
© Andrew S. Wright / WWF-Canada
Harms to biodiversity, food security and Indigenous rights
The Arctic is experiencing a convergence of stressors: pollution, climate change, habitat disruption and declining biodiversity. Each amplifies the other. Wildlife that are already struggling with habitat loss due to melting ice are more susceptible to disease from pollutants that build up in their bodies. For example, polar bears are not only losing their hunting grounds as the ice shrinks, but experiencing contaminant loads that weaken their immune systems and decrease their reproduction rates. Similarly, commercially important fish species, such as chinook salmon, are showing declines linked to pollution-driven ecosystem changes.
For Indigenous communities, pollution is a direct threat to food security and cultural survival. Traditional foods—fish, marine mammals and game—are increasingly contaminated, undermining both human physical health and cultural practices tied to subsistence hunting and fishing. Research shows that mercury and POPs accumulate at disproportionately high levels in Indigenous populations, leading to severe health disparities. Yet, these communities have little say in the international governance structures that determine pollution control measures where they live.
Beyond food security, pollution is altering the fabric of Arctic life. The disruption of migratory patterns of reindeer and fish affect Indigenous harvesting traditions. Expanding shipping lanes, driven by ice melt, are introducing new pollutants and invasive species, further destabilizing ecosystems. These cascading stressors do not operate in isolation—they reinforce each other, eroding both biodiversity and the governance systems that are supposed to protect it.
Moving forward
The Arctic’s pollution crisis is not just a regional issue—it is a global one. What happens in the Arctic affects us all, whether through disrupted weather patterns, biodiversity loss, or the health of global fisheries. Addressing this crisis requires immediate action.
Pollution may not dominate today’s environmental headlines as it once did, but its impacts are no less urgent. The Arctic is on the frontline of a slow-moving disaster—one that we still have the power to mitigate. Recognizing pollution as a fundamental driver of Arctic biodiversity loss is a necessary step towards protecting this vital region for future generations.
Rethinking global pollution governance
The Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted under the Convention on Biological Diversity, recognizes pollution as a key driver of biodiversity loss. But its Target 7, which aims to reduce pollution risks to biodiversity, is insufficient for addressing the Arctic’s unique vulnerabilities. The framework does not adequately account for long-range pollution transport or the special provisions needed to protect Arctic biodiversity and Indigenous communities.
The Arctic must be recognized as a distinct pollution accumulation hotspot in need of dedicated global action. International agreements on pollutants should integrate Arctic-specific strategies, including stricter regulations on pollutants known to accumulate in the region. Moreover, Indigenous communities must be given stronger decision-making roles in pollution mitigation efforts.
BECKY CHAPLIN-KRAMER is WWF’s Global Biodiversity Lead Scientist.
