The Arctic is often referred to as the bellwether of global climate change. Many species are already critically endangered. Moreover, people and animals of the Arctic are exposed to particularly high doses of globally emitted toxic pollutants due to special air and sea currents. And now the melt down of the Arctic ice masses facilitates the next threatening danger: resource-hungry industrialized countries press northwards in quest of oil and other natural resources.
In the course of the project “Arctic Footprint and Policy Assessment”, which started in February with a kick-off meeting at the European Commission, SERI analyses the ecological and socio-economic impacts of the EU on the Arctic. Furthermore, the work of the international team of researches participating in the study aims to improve the effectiveness of EU environmental policies with respect to the Arctic region (more information: www.seri.at/arctic_footprint).