THE CHANGING ARCTIC: Local and Global Implications

The Rate of temperature increase in the Arctic as a whole has been twice the global average and, in some parts of the Arctic, three to four times the global average.  This makes the Arctic one of the fastest changing environments on the planet with local and global impacts that are stretching the ability of social and natural systems to adapt.  Moreover, physical and geopolitical barriers to resource development and transportation are reduced due to the retreat of the region’s sea ice, presenting new economic and strategic opportunities and challenges. Ms. Halla Hrund Logadóttir provides an overview of the changing region and discusses the implications it has for all of us living on planet Earth. Halla Hrund Logadóttir is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School.