{"id":17341,"date":"2025-06-06T13:00:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T13:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalgreens.org\/?p=17341"},"modified":"2025-06-06T13:06:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T13:06:44","slug":"struggles-in-the-arctic-ocean-climate-change-biodiversity-loss-and-green-party-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalgreens.org\/kor\/struggles-in-the-arctic-ocean-climate-change-biodiversity-loss-and-green-party-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Struggles in the Arctic Ocean: Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, and Green Party Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world\u2019s oceans<\/strong>, yet it holds vast ecological importance<\/strong>. It spans 5.4 million square miles, borders eight countries, and is home to a unique abundance of marine and wildlife. It also plays a pivotal role in climate regulation, ocean circulation<\/strong> and supports the livelihoods of over four million people<\/strong> within the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the impacts of climate change are destroying the Arctic region as we know it. <\/strong>Sea ice is melting at an unprecedented rate and ecosystems are being disrupted, all while the region is being exploited for oil and gas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impacts of the climate crisis on the Arctic will have far-reaching consequences for the rest of the planet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pressing Threats to Climate and Biodiversity in the Arctic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warming Temperatures, Sea Ice Loss, and Ocean Acidification<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arctic sea ice<\/strong> is diminishing at an unprecedented and alarming rate<\/strong> due to rising temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Known as \u2018Arctic amplification\u2019<\/strong>, temperatures in the Arctic are rising 4 times faster than the global average <\/strong>\u2013melting sea ice, acidifying the ocean at faster rates, and changing ecosystems entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer Arctic sea ice extent is now shrinking by 13% per decade.<\/strong> In March 2025, Arctic sea ice reached its lowest ever-recorded winter maximum<\/strong>, as shown by provisional data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reduction in sea ice not only threatens native wild and marine life, but can also have a disastrous impact on the world through rising sea levels.<\/strong> The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)<\/a> estimates that the melting of ice sheets in Greenland alone can contribute to 7.2 meters of sea level rise.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biodiversity Loss and Ecosystem Disruption<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Arctic, climate change is the primary driver of biodiversity loss<\/strong>. More 21,000 different species call this region home, and the compounding impacts of the changing climate are threatening their ability to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to WWF, 40% of the polar bear population<\/strong> in the southern Beaufort Sea has declined between 2001 and 2010<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate change is also intensifying wildfires<\/strong> \uadf8\ub9ac\uace0 eroding the coastlines<\/strong> of the region, especially in areas like Alaska and Siberia. In some areas of Alaska, up to five meters of coastline <\/strong>are disappearing every year. In turn, these impacts are threatening local habitats and leading to species decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resource Exploitation and Shipping Expansion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Arctic sea ice continues to melt, new opportunities for the extraction of oil and gas,<\/strong> as well as for shipping accessibility<\/strong>, arise\u2013worsening the already fragile state of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arctic contains some of the largest untapped oil and gas reserves <\/strong>on the planet. Greater access to them will lead to greater burnoff of fossil fuels,<\/strong> irreversible damage caused by oil spilling,<\/strong> and will continue to intensify the climate crisis.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, WWF estimates that the number of ships operating in the Arctic grew by 37 percent between 2013 and 2023. This significantly increases CO2 emissions, levels of black carbon <\/strong>(which even further intensifies Arctic ice melt), and can significantly affect the behavior of sea animals through the associated underwater noise.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green Party Responses and Plans of Action <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Greens<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European Green Party recognises both the significance of and the urgency needed to respond <\/strong>to the pressing threats within the Arctic region and the Arctic Ocean. In so doing, the European Greens adopted the resolution \u2018<\/strong>Treaty for the Protection of the Arctic<\/strong>\u2019<\/a> and have called on both the international community and the European Union to take action for the Arctic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European Greens call for<\/a>: the protection of indigenous communities<\/strong> in the Arctic, a moratorium on the extraction of oil and gas<\/strong> in the region, an Arctic-specific legal regime<\/strong> that ensures the conservation of the Arctic and accountability of fish stocks, and calls on the International Maritime Organisation to declare the region a NECA\/SECA zone that prohibits the use of heavy fuel oil.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\uce90\ub098\ub2e4\uc758 \ub179\uc0c9\ub2f9<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Green Party of Canada emphasises the inseparable link between Arctic security and climate action<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-Leader of the Canadian Green Party Elizabeth May states, <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA secure Arctic is one where communities are thriving, the environment is protected, and Canada is positioned as a global leader in responsible stewardship of the North\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Green Party\u2019s \u2018<\/strong>Protecting Canada\u2019<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>Plan requires an integrated approach for the Arctic, including investment in icebreakers and Arctic infrastructure<\/strong>, as well as new regulations to protect Arctic fisheries<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norway Greens<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milj\u00f8partiet De Gr\u00f8nne, the Green Party of Norway, in working recognition of the adversities of climate change and biodiversity loss, wishes to launch \u2018revolution in renewable energy <\/strong>that can show the way for the rest of the world\u2019, with aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of their main priorities is to \u2018shutdown\u2019 the use of fossil fuels<\/strong>, as well as paying more attention to meat consumption and deforestation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Norway Greens also recognise the importance of protecting the seas. <\/strong>Their proposal for fjords and seas includes conserving at least 30% of local marine areas by 2030, halting offshore mining, phasing out bottom trawling, and completely sustainable fish farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Green Party of Sweden<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Swedish Green party says, \u2018It\u2019s about the forests, the oceans and the climate<\/strong>\u2019…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Swedish Green\u2019s plan of action for the oceans includes phasing out the use of environmental toxins<\/strong> \uadf8\ub9ac\uace0 stopping the spread of microplastic<\/strong> in the oceans, stopping mining and uncontrolled exploitation of seabeds<\/strong>, and introducing comprehensive maritime law <\/strong>for the EU for a healthy and resilient ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.arcticwwf.org\/threats\/climate-change\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.arcticwwf.org\/newsroom\/news\/wwf-living-planet-report-2024-a-planet-in-crisis\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Arctic has warmed \u2018nearly four times faster\u2019 than the global average<\/a><\/blockquote>