Ministerial conference on the Arctic - an observatory for environmental change
© MEEDDAT
- from: 09.11.2008
- to: 10.11.2008
- In: Monaco
The international ministerial conference on the Arctic aims to raise public awareness on the urgent need to act to protect the Arctic from the damage caused by the degradation of the global environment. It also aims to continue the momentum provided by the International Polar Year with regard to scientific research and international cooperation in view of the long-term availability of tools that are reliable and cover the widest possible area. The conference will notably facilitate the mobilization of political and institutional leaders, emphasising the urgency of acting to support a network of observation stations in the Arctic.
The French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, working with its European partners in the fight against climate change, wishes to contribute to the international mobilisation on the subject. Organised in partnership with Monaco, the conference will bring together the countries of the Arctic Council (high-level interngovernmental forum aimed at promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction between the signatory states - Canada, Russia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the United States, Sweden and Finland - on subjects of common interest, notably sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic).
Following this conference, the Arctic region should be the subject of a European Commission Communication at the end of 2008.
The Arctic is a key area in the global climate system and an essential part of the global physical and biological balance. The environment of these high northern latitudes is also particularly sensitive to human activities, whether it be pollution emitted into the northern hemisphere and which is particularly prevalent in this area, or the melting of the Arctic ice cap, which is increasing every year.
The poles are exceptional laboratories for the study of global climate change: scientific research in these areas provides essential information to help policymakers to act.
It is important now to work on reinforcing the coordination of the scientific structures set up in the Arctic by a number of countries, whether they are Arctic neighbours or countries with renowned scientific tradition and expertise. It is essential to provide the best possible data to inform policy decisions. Many observation stations are already working hard to provide extensive information in all scientific disciplines, but this body of knowledge is not sufficiently taken into account. It has become all the more urgent to work collectively to make the research more visible and to encourage the networking of the polar observation stations now that we know that environmental change is accelerating.
- Updated: 23.12.2008
