11.11.2022The Arctic under pressure: Man-made changes in the Arctic and Switzerland's role.

While the Arctic "thaw" threatens the livelihoods of indigenous people, industrialized countries see it as an opportunity for new economic activity. But the changes in the Arctic are also having a global impact. Therefore, preservation of the Arctic eco- and climate systems is essential for sustainable development outside the Arctic - also in Switzerland.
Gabriela Schaepman-Strub and Patricia Holm, in the section on biodiversity and changing ecosystems, discuss the impacts of increased temperatures on the organisms in the Arctic which are adapted to low temperatures, ice and snow. In addition to climate change, the overexploitation of species and their habitats, invasive species and environmental pollution currently pose the greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide. These factors are also increasingly affecting Arctic biodiversity.

Read more by downloading the PDF (PDF, 6 MB) or here (PDF, 6 MB) -DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7155652