Remarks from the National Science Foundation

As we know, the Arctic is changing very rapidly and in very many ways, not all of them related to climate.

However, all of these changes affect the people who live in the Arctic. Many also have the very real potential to affect those of us here in Earth's temperate zones.

The Native peoples of the Arctic are resilient. They have coped with change for millennia and there is every reason to believe they will do so again. Even so, the challenges we all face are daunting, they are complex, and many are global in scope.

The world is warming, without doubt. But not uniformly.

Within the Arctic, some places are changing faster–and differently—than others, and not only because of climate change but also because of resource extraction and many other factors.

Lastly, not all of these changes are negative.