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The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world’s oceans, yet it holds vast ecological importance. 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 and supports the livelihoods of over four million people within the region.
However, the impacts of climate change are destroying the Arctic region as we know it. Sea ice is melting at an unprecedented rate and ecosystems are being disrupted, all while the region is being exploited for oil and gas.
The impacts of the climate crisis on the Arctic will have far-reaching consequences for the rest of the planet.
Pressing Threats to Climate and Biodiversity in the Arctic
Warming Temperatures, Sea Ice Loss, and Ocean Acidification
Arctic sea ice is diminishing at an unprecedented and alarming rate due to rising temperatures.
Known as ‘Arctic amplification’, temperatures in the Arctic are rising 4 times faster than the global average –melting sea ice, acidifying the ocean at faster rates, and changing ecosystems entirely.
Summer Arctic sea ice extent is now shrinking by 13% per decade. In March 2025, Arctic sea ice reached its lowest ever-recorded winter maximum, as shown by provisional data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center.
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. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates that the melting of ice sheets in Greenland alone can contribute to 7.2 meters of sea level rise.
Biodiversity Loss and Ecosystem Disruption
In the Arctic, climate change is the primary driver of biodiversity loss. More 21,000 different species call this region home, and the compounding impacts of the changing climate are threatening their ability to survive.
According to WWF, 40% of the polar bear population in the southern Beaufort Sea has declined between 2001 and 2010.
Climate change is also intensifying wildfires and eroding the coastlines of the region, especially in areas like Alaska and Siberia. In some areas of Alaska, up to five meters of coastline are disappearing every year. In turn, these impacts are threatening local habitats and leading to species decline.
Resource Exploitation and Shipping Expansion
As Arctic sea ice continues to melt, new opportunities for the extraction of oil and gas, as well as for shipping accessibility, arise–worsening the already fragile state of the region.
The Arctic contains some of the largest untapped oil and gas reserves on the planet. Greater access to them will lead to greater burnoff of fossil fuels, irreversible damage caused by oil spilling, and will continue to intensify the climate crisis.
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 (which even further intensifies Arctic ice melt), and can significantly affect the behavior of sea animals through the associated underwater noise.
Green Party Responses and Plans of Action
The European Green Party recognises both the significance of and the urgency needed to respond to the pressing threats within the Arctic region and the Arctic Ocean. In so doing, the European Greens adopted the resolution ‘Treaty for the Protection of the Arctic’ and have called on both the international community and the European Union to take action for the Arctic.
The European Greens call for: the protection of indigenous communities in the Arctic, a moratorium on the extraction of oil and gas in the region, an Arctic-specific legal regime 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.
The Green Party of Canada emphasises the inseparable link between Arctic security and climate action.
Co-Leader of the Canadian Green Party Elizabeth May states,
“A 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”.
The Green Party’s ‘Protecting Canada’ Plan requires an integrated approach for the Arctic, including investment in icebreakers and Arctic infrastructure, as well as new regulations to protect Arctic fisheries.
Miljøpartiet De Grønne, the Green Party of Norway, in working recognition of the adversities of climate change and biodiversity loss, wishes to launch ‘revolution in renewable energy that can show the way for the rest of the world’, with aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.
One of their main priorities is to ‘shutdown’ the use of fossil fuels, as well as paying more attention to meat consumption and deforestation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Norway Greens also recognise the importance of protecting the seas. 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.
The Swedish Green party says, ‘It’s about the forests, the oceans and the climate’…
The Swedish Green’s plan of action for the oceans includes phasing out the use of environmental toxins and stopping the spread of microplastic in the oceans, stopping mining and uncontrolled exploitation of seabeds, and introducing comprehensive maritime law for the EU for a healthy and resilient ocean.
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