Managing the Arctic

in times of rapid change

for a global stakeholder community:

the need for an

integrated management approach

Dr. Martin Sommerkorn, WWF International Arctic Programme, msommerkorn@wwf.no

””The impacts of climate change in The impacts of climate change in

the polar regionsthe polar regions

over the next 100 yearsover the next 100 years

will exceed the impactswill exceed the impacts

forecast for other regions,forecast for other regions,

and will produce feedbacksand will produce feedbacks

that will havethat will have

globally significantglobally significant

consequences”consequences”

IPCC WG II, p655

The Arctic is more than a place…

NASA

… most vulnerable to climate change.

2040

UCAR

Feedbacks out of the Arctic will accelerate global warming

Lawrence and Slater 2005UNEP/GRID Arendal

… , the Arctic is also the place where vulnerability is of urgent

global relevance

Lawrence et al. 2008

Why am I telling you this in a session on arctic non-renewable resources?

• Because arctic impacts of climate change alone will stretch many arctic systems to their very limits.

• Because added pressures of increased human activities will undoubtedly contribute significantly to these pressures.

• Because therefore none of these impacts can be handled in isolation when attempting to maintain viable arctic systems.

• Because securing the functional integrity of key arctic systems is of global importance - pressures on these therefore are of global significance.

Currently the only available framework that• manages to maximise the ability of a system to

”absorb dramatic changes without collapse”• combines ecosystems and social systems to a

socio-ecological approach, also considering ”values”

• considers all pressures in a flexible way adequate for the anticipated rapid changes, some of the aspects of which are not known a priori.

An integrated approach:”Managing for Resilience”

• Factors, impacts, and consequences of arctic climate change are increasingly large scale, cross-border, hard to predict, and rapidly changing.

• In light of this, current governance mechanisms appear increasingly fragmented with large gaps in jurisdiction, implementation, and effectiveness.

• The adoption of a simple international framework convention would would provide an integrated management basis for arctic environmental issues adequate to cover the Arctic in times of rapid change, through a harmonious, uniform approach.

Managing for resilience:from within a binding framework

Bill Hess 1999

””To not act represents theTo not act represents the

annihilation of our community,annihilation of our community,

… … lifestyle and culture”lifestyle and culture”Shishmaref Erosion and Relocation CoalitionShishmaref Erosion and Relocation Coalition