At the International Scientific Congress “Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions”, experts presented a summary of scientific findings since the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment. The congress attracted broad international attention in the run-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-15) in Copenhagen in December 2009. In the session entitled “Integrating Climate Change into Global Sustainability”, Sandra Cavalieri presented transatlantic and international policy options to protect the Arctic marine environment that had emerged from the Arctic TRANSFORM project.

Climate change is occurring more rapidly in the Arctic than in any other region of the world. Increased access to the marine environment is creating new economic opportunities for the fishing, energy, shipping, and tourism industries, which are expected to expand in both scope and intensity. The increased activity in the Arctic marine area will require effective policies and international co-operation if the world hopes to protect fragile Arctic ecosystems and safeguard the rights and interests of indigenous peoples. The presentation highlighted policy options within different sectors, as well as cross-cutting approaches to implementing holistic ecosystem-based management in the marine area.

The presentation abstract is available online.