Arctic Council News
Focus on: COP25 in Madrid
|
|
|
|
Arctic Council COP25 side event on ocean acidification: A call for action
The Arctic is experiencing some of the fastest rates of ocean acidification with potentially severe implications for the ecosystem and communities dependent on these. To raise awareness on acidifying waters and to bring state-of-the-art knowledge on the issue to a global arena, the Arctic Council organized a side event “All aboard! Tackling polar ocean acidification” at the COP25 in Madrid. The side event was led by the Icelandic Chairmanship, organized in cooperation with the Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) Working Group, and hosted in the Cryosphere Pavilion. It brought together leading international acidification experts for a one and a half hour briefing on the chemical, biological, and socio-economic impacts of acidifying waters in the North – and what can be done to tackle the issue. Learn more about the points discussed in Madrid.
|
|
We’re All Aboard!
Editorial by Ambassador Stefán Skjaldarson, Moderator at the Arctic Council’s COP25 side-event
It was very inspiring to see the high level of interest for the Arctic Council and its work at the COP25 in Madrid. The success of the event confirmed to me that the Arctic Council’s science-based approach to meet the environmental challenges we face, as well as the active involvement of the Arctic indigenous peoples, is extremely important to succeed with our work. Read Ambassador Skjaldarson's full editorial.
|
|
|
|
The ocean, an unsung hero
“It could be said that the ocean is an unsung hero in the saga of our changing climate”, Iceland’s Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources, HE. Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, stated in his opening remarks. ”It absorbs most of the increased heat in the atmosphere. It also takes up a quarter of the carbon dioxide that humankind pumps into the atmosphere. Without the sea, the atmosphere would have warmed much faster.” But this service comes with a cost, as he emphasizes: warming seas and increased ocean acidification. Changes that can have severe implications for communities and nations that rely on ocean services, such as Iceland and many countries around the globe. Mr Guðbrandsson thus closed with a call for action: “We do need all aboard. The Arctic is sounding a global alarm, we shall all listen, and we should all act.”
|
|
|
|
The human face of change
For the second time in her life, Ko Barrett visited the Arctic in September. The Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) held a series of meetings with Indigenous communities to hear about how climate change was already impacting their lives. “I found it difficult to just talk about the facts, facts, facts, without having a human face around which to think about the impacts this was having on communities”, she stated in Madrid. She had travelled to the Arctic to present the results of the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. An account she also gave at the side event at the COP25 – based on facts, but with an emphasis on what ocean acidification means to people in the Arctic.
|
|
|
Suffering younger generation
The effects of ocean acidification on plants and animals in the Arctic Ocean is complicated. Some benefit from the increased uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide, while others struggle to survive in acidifying waters. “Generally speaking there seems to be a lot more negative impacts”, Dr Helen Findlay reported. The biological oceanographer from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory particularly pointed out that ocean dwellers are affected in their early life stages. “It’s all very well to have an adult that can survive, but if you can’t produce the eggs, or the eggs don’t survive, then the population is not going to survive.”
|
|
|
|
The key to understanding
As co-lead of AMAP’s Arctic Ocean Acidification Assessment 2018, Prof Richard Bellerby is a renowned expert on the causes and effects of ocean acidification in the polar regions. He guided the audience through the ten key findings outlined in AMAP's assessment – from the rapid acidification rates Arctic waters are experiencing, to its effects on peoples' livelihoods, wellbeing and cultures. Both at the onset of his presentation and in closing, Prof Bellerby highlighted the three areas of action outlined as policy recommendations in the AMAP assessment: “We need to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide as a matter of urgency, enhance research and monitoring, and develop adaptations strategies tailor to local and societal needs”, he summarized.
|
|
|
Impacting a society's core
Ocean acidification does not just impact plants and animals – it affects the entire Arctic marine ecosystem, including the Indigenous Inuit communities that are an integral part of this ecosystem. “It impacts our culture, this impacts the way Inuit men feed their families, their communities. That impacts on identity”, Lisa Koperqualuk, Vice President of International Affairs for the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada stated. In a society that is intricately linked to the marine biodiversity, ocean acidification alters not just the chemistry of the waters, but also livelihoods, cultures, traditions, and even languages.
|
|
|
|
|
Listen to the interventions of the speakers and watch the full side event on the Arctic Council Vimeo channel . You can also download the available speakers' presentations from the Arctic Council open access library.
|
|
|
|
Why is the Arctic so affected by ocean acidification?
The acidity of the world’s oceans is likely rising faster than at any time during the past 55 million years and some of the fastest rates of ocean acidification are occurring in the Arctic. Why? Due to two major processes, explains Rolf Rødven, executive secretary of AMAP: the solubility of atmospheric carbon dioxide in cold waters and melting ice. He takes a bottle of water to illustrate the chemistry behind the decreasing pH level. “Imagine you have a bottle of sparking water. When it’s in the fridge, your water will contain more bubbles, and hence more carbonic acid. Yet, if you take the bottle out of the fridge and the water warms, the CO2 is released from the water”. The reason: cold water can absorb more carbon dioxide than warm water. Therefore, we observe a higher uptake of CO2 in Arctic waters. An additional reason of enhanced acidification in the Arctic is melting ice that flows from glaciers into the sea. “Sea water has a pH of around 8, while the pH of freshwater lies around 7. Thus, if you have ice cubes in your bottle of mineral water, they will bring down the pH from 8 towards 7 as they melt, turning the water more acidic.” Watch Rolf Rødven as he explains Arctic ocean acidification in his COP25 water bottle.
|
|
An evolving knowledge base
In 2018, AMAP released its second Arctic Ocean Acidification Assessment and a Summary for Policy Makers, which offer a comprehensive overview of how Arctic waters are affected by acidification. The reports are available for download on AMAP’s website and by clicking on the report covers above.
AMAP is currently following up on its 2018 assessment, aiming at broadening the perspective and taking multiple stressors into account that impact life in the Arctic Ocean. Stay up-to-date with AMAP’s work – by for example following the Working Group on Twitter and Facebook.
|
|
|
|
COP25 press conference: Tackling ocean acidification
The Arctic Council organized a press conference ahead of the side event, in order to increase attention on the issue of ocean acidification in international media. Co-hosted by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme and the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, the invited experts outlined some of the key issues of ocean acidification, including its chemical and biological effects, as well as their implications on communities and economies. The press conference was recorded and is available on demand on the UNFCCC webcast site.
|
|
Súrnun sjávar
Under the Icelandic leadership, the Arctic Council brought ocean acidification to a global arena and briefed COP25 delegates about the impacts and what can be done to tackle the issue. Ocean acidification in Icelandic? Súrnun sjávar.
Listen to and learn how to pronounce "súrnun sjávar".
|
|
|
|
|
