Addressing Climate Change in the Arctic
People are working hard to understand and mitigate climate change impacts in the Arctic region. Around the world, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases like methane is critical. Locally in the Arctic, reducing black carbon emissions can help address more immediate impacts on the environment and human health.
Ongoing and expanding research on drivers and impacts of climate change is important for documenting changes and setting priorities. Many groups are working together on this research at local, state, national, and international levels.
This page shows how people are working together to understand and address climate change in Alaska and the Arctic. To see examples of how communities in Alaska are adapting, visit the Taking Action: Adaptation webpage.
Explore the sections on this page to learn more about:
- Reducing Emissions
- EPA's Role in the Arctic Council
- Expanding Research
- Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee
- References
Reducing Emissions
Climate change mitigation refers to actions limiting the magnitude and rate of future climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and/or advancing nature-based solutions.
Reducing worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases and other short-lived climate forcers like black carbon is necessary to limit climate change impacts in the Arctic region. Wetlands and thawing permafrost, as well as fossil fuel production and transport, agriculture, and waste contribute a lot to methane emissions in the Arctic. Black carbon in the Arctic primarily comes from wildfires that release carbon stores directly from trees and soils, as well as surface transportation, energy production, and homes and businesses.
Black carbon is fine particulate air pollution formed by the incomplete combustion of wood and fossil fuels. It warms the atmosphere because it is very effective at absorbing light. It lasts only days to weeks in the atmosphere but has big direct and indirect impacts, especially in the far north where it can deposit on snow and ice, making them less reflective. Black carbon also harms human health. The further north it is emitted, the larger its effect on the Arctic. Even though Arctic states emit only 10% of global black carbon, they account for 30% of black carbon’s warming impacts in the Arctic.1
In 2015, the Arctic Council adopted a Framework for reducing black carbon and methane emissions. The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum that helps Arctic states and Indigenous Peoples work together on common issues, like sustainable development and environmental protection. The United States is one of the eight Arctic member states. Under the 2015 framework, Arctic states agreed to take strong actions to reduce black carbon and methane emissions and to report their progress every two years.
Alaska’s state government is working to reduce emissions in the energy sector. As of March 2024, Alaska has created a statewide Priority Sustainable Energy Action Plan (pdf) (3.88 MB) to meet the requirements of the Priority Climate Action Plan set by the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Program. The plan includes measures to reduce greenhouse gases that state agencies, municipalities, Tribal consortia, and councils of government could take. It also looks at current programs that can be enhanced to deliver major, long-lasting emissions reductions.
Expanding Research
There is a lot of research happening about climate change in the Arctic. More research is needed to document changes and fill data gaps on causes and impacts of change. This information can help set local and international priorities for mitigation and adaptation.
Arctic ecosystems are changing quickly. Because these changes are happening so fast, it’s important to document the conditions of Arctic ecosystems to track what is changing and what is being lost. Some areas of the Arctic that are more vulnerable to change, like the remaining perennial sea-ice cover, ice shelves, epishelf lakes (a body of freshwater that floats on denser ocean water), and the Greenland Ice Sheet, are priorities for documentation.2
So far, Arctic research has often focused on rising temperatures, shrinking sea ice, and increasing wildfires. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identifies key knowledge gaps in the Arctic due to limited observations on polar biodiversity, precipitation, soil quality, and glacier and ice sheet loss. Documenting these elements, among others, can help develop current and future priorities for research, mitigation, and adaptation. There is also a need to study the social, economic, and cultural impacts of changes in the Arctic.
The U.S. Fifth National Climate Assessment highlights that changing environmental resources can create unequal access to services.3 Assessments of rapidly changing areas benefit from comparing them to areas that are less vulnerable to change. This helps show the scope of environmental changes and better inform ecosystem and resource management models.4 The assistance of Arctic and international science institutions and governments is crucial in addressing these data gaps. Tools like satellites, autonomous vehicles, and community-based monitoring can help gather data from remote areas.
There is also a need to develop and maintain pan-Arctic climate indicators that reflect improvements in data sharing and availability. The Arctic Council and International Arctic Science Committee emphasize the importance of co-producing future research and indicators, particularly with Indigenous Knowledge holders. Better data about Arctic ecosystems will help residents, researchers, and policymakers at all levels.5
The Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network, established by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium’s Center for Climate and Health in 2012, allows Alaskan community members to share animal, environmental, and weather events. The Local Environmental Observer Network has since become a model program under the United States’ Chairmanship of the Arctic Council, working in collaboration with Alaskan Native tribes, universities, and national government agencies like the EPA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Local collaboration efforts are also led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, whose programs, such as the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center, Alaska Sea Grant, and Alaska Fire Science Consortium, foster partnerships to produce climate research, toolkits, and outreach materials.
References
1 Arctic Council. (no date). Black Carbon and Methane. Accessed December 13, 2024, https://arctic-council.org/about/task-expert/egbcm/
2 Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). (2021). Arctic Climate Change Update 2021: Key Trends and Impacts. Summary for policy-makers. https://www.amap.no/documents/doc/arctic-climate-change-update-2021-key-trends-and-impacts.-summary-for-policy-makers/3508
3 Huntington, H.P., C. Strawhacker, J. Falke, E.M. Ward, L. Behnken, T.N. Curry, A.C. Herrmann, C.U. Itchuaqiyaq, J.S. Littell, E.A. Logerwell, D. Meeker, J.R. Overbeck, D.L. Peter, R. Pincus, A.A. Quintyne, S.F. Trainor, and S.A. Yoder, 2023: Ch. 29. Alaska. In: Fifth National Climate Assessment. Crimmins, A.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, B.C. Stewart, and T.K. Maycock, Eds. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA. https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA5.2023.CH29
4 AMAP. (2021). Arctic Climate Change Update 2021: Key Trends and Impacts. Summary for policy-makers. https://www.amap.no/documents/doc/arctic-climate-change-update-2021-key-trends-and-impacts.-summary-for-policy-makers/3508
5 AMAP. (2021). Arctic Climate Change Update 2021: Key Trends and Impacts. Summary for policy-makers. https://www.amap.no/documents/doc/arctic-climate-change-update-2021-key-trends-and-impacts.-summary-for-policy-makers/3508