Arctic meltdown | Pacific in Peril

The western Arctic is already warming three to five times faster than the global average and, as a result, the Arctic ice pack is melting. Over the last 40 years ice thickness has declined by more than 40 percent and an area bigger than the Netherlands is disappearing every year with dramatic effect on native peoples and Arctic wildlife.

People have lived on the northwestern Alaska coast for at least 4,000 years. Although today they live in established communities with schools, snow machines, computers and other benefits of Western society and technology, the cultural traditions of harvesting and sharing natural wild resources are still central to peoples lives.

The value of subsistence living is much greater than the food it provides. Hunting and gathering, sharing of food and the spiritual beliefs surrounding these activities tie families, generations and communities together.

The impacts of climate change however are bringing new concerns for people who rely so heavily on the natural resources of the sea and tundra.

Thinner sea ice is more dangerous for hunting and as the ice breaks up earlier and freezes later there is less time available for hunting and fishing. Changes in snow and rainfall can effect the vegetation available for birds and animals, making them scarce and a change in quality or quantity of tundra plants may mean an important element of the traditional native diet will be lost.

Many coastal communities have no roads and rely on snow and ice as a surface for travel. Less sea ice or snow cover makes these communities more isolated.

The outlook is also bleak for wildlife. Polar bears are under threat of starvation as a shorter ice season curtails their hunting time and caribou are finding it increasingly difficult to dig for food as rising temperatures and dropping air pressure create a thick impenetrable layer of snow and ice over their grazing grounds. Walrus, seals and guillemots are also suffering as habitats and seasons are affected by climate change (read 'Answers from the Ice Edge').

Alaska Natives will be travelling to COP6 to demand that governments stop stalling and cheating and take action to protect their fragile environment.