The Arctic: Environmental Security and a Changing World

At a time of rising geopolitical tension and uncertainty, both the environment and the institutions meant to protect it are under growing pressure. Multilateral cooperation is being tested just as environmental change accelerates. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Arctic, where warming is happening three to four times faster than the global average. Changes in permafrost, ecosystems, wildfires and pollution are already affecting communities, infrastructure and global climate systems far beyond the region.

The Arctic is, in many ways, a global early-warning system. But early warning only matters if it leads to preparedness. Strengthening environmental preparedness—and what is increasingly referred to as environmental security—requires strong scientific cooperation and effective international institutions.

International organisations have traditionally focused much of their work on low- and middle-income countries. Yet the pace and global implications of change in the Arctic call for stronger engagement, knowledge exchange and science diplomacy in the region as well. Through its role in the Arctic Council, UNEP can help connect Arctic knowledge with global environmental governance.

This discussion asks a timely policy question: how can international cooperation, science diplomacy and preparedness be strengthened in a rapidly changing Arctic- and what role can Norway play in ensuring that Arctic knowledge informs global decision-making in an increasingly uncertain world?