Is your country Climate vulnerable?
Polar warming affects regions differently. See how Arctic change drives climate risks in your part of the world.
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Regional Stories
Africa Africa
Numerous disasters throughout the African continent, including drought, excessive heat, disease and sea level rise, are amplified by rapid changes in the Arctic region.Asia Asia
Some of the most devastating impacts are felt in the southeastern regions–far from the poles. In southeastern Asia, this rapid polar warming has exacerbated recent disasters, including persistent heat waves, powerful storms, drought, cold spells, and flooding.Central and South America Central and South America
Central America and the South American continent stretches from the tropics and almost reaches as far as Antarctica and the warming polar regions are felt through the whole continent.Europe Europe
Europe is the fastest warming continent and the effects of rapid polar melting are felt everyday.North America and Caribbean North America and Caribbean
The North American continent stretches from the Arctic to the tropics. However, whether fires and heat domes encapsulating the western coast, storms in the tropics or cold freezes in Texas, the effects of an Arctic warming four times faster than the rest of the world are felt throughout the entire continent.Pacific Pacific
Despite the geographic distance between Oceania and the polar regions, sea level rise from melting ice sheets at both poles affects the entire globe. The Pacific region, already highly vulnerable to tropical storms, faces compounded risks as polar warming—which drives ice sheet loss in Greenland and Antarctica—also intensifies storm systems.
How does the ARCTIC increase Global Risks?
The Arctic has warmed an average rate of four times faster than the global average since 1979 (Rantananen et al., 2022).
This rate, reaching seven times faster in parts of the Eurasian Arctic, is caused by Arctic amplification. While Arctic amplification is significantly driven by the loss of sea ice and northern hemisphere snow cover, Arctic amplification increases ice sheet melt, accelerating sea level rise, as well as further hastening sea ice and northern hemisphere snow cover losses, contributing to the Arctic wildfire seasons and permafrost thaw. Arctic warming is increasing carbon emissions from fire and permafrost degradation, a process not well captured by global climate models
Want to know more about how Arctic amplification and other Arctic change is intensifying global risks? Explore our Global Risks page.
Is the ARCTIC Climate Vulnerable?
Rapid Arctic warming and melt are amplifying existing threats to Arctic communities, as well climate-vulnerable areas around the world.
The Arctic itself is also a climate vulnerable region, affected first and worst by climate change. To find out how rapid Arctic warming is affecting Arctic communities, please see our SDG pages where we highlight how each of the SDG issues is experienced in the Arctic. Here we look at the global risks of Arctic change and present regional case studies which highlight major issues affecting some of the most climate vulnerable regions around the world, showing how the influence of a warming Arctic far exceeds its geography.
Arctic communities under pressure
Related global risks: food insecurity, water insecurityÂ
Arctic Indigenous communities are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the rapid changes in the Arctic climate and weather. They face pressures including damage to infrastructure from thawing permafrost and increased risk of wildfires, and difficult reindeer herding conditions in winter due to extreme swings in weather. They are facing threats to their subsistence economies and way of life as the Arctic sea-ice melts, glaciers recede, permafrost thaws and the Arctic becomes greener.Â
Some Arctic communities experience difficulty accessing clean drinking water and sufficient, safe and nutritious food because of permafrost thaw, sea ice loss, changes in seasonality in surface water availability, and resource development and extraction. In 2021, Iqaluit, Nunavut, experienced a water crisis where 8000 residents were without access to clean tap water for two months due to fuel contamination.Â
