The Arctic is undergoing fundamental and rapid change. Temperatures are rising faster at the top of the world than anywhere else on Earth. Arctic ice is vanishing. The extent of northern sea ice reached its lowest level in recorded history in 2012, whilst the figure for 2013 remained far below the seasonal average. Melting is occurring even more rapidly than many climate scientists had predicted and for the Arctic this means dramatic impacts on the landscape, on Indigenous communities and cultures and the unique wildlife of this region. For the rest of the world beyond the Arctic Circle, it means accelerating climate change impacts and extreme weather events around the planet.
