Arctic region

The 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention unites nations behind a shared commitment to preserve the world’s outstanding cultural and natural heritage for the benefit of present and future generations. This report presents the results of a scientific assessment of globally significant ecosystems in the Arctic Ocean that may be of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) with respect to the natural criteria for World Heritage status.

In recent years, journalists and environmentalists have pointed urgently to the melting Arctic as a leading indicator of the growing effects of climate change. While climate change has unleashed profound transformations in the region, most commentators distort these changes by calling them unprecedented. In reality, the landscapes of the North American Arctic—as well as relations among scientists, Inuit, and federal governments— are products of the region’s colonial past.

This brochure is a brief presentation of highlights drawn from "Impacts of a warming Arctic", the plain language synthesis report of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA). This assessment was called for by the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC).