Despite the raging fires in Australia, other wildlife populations around the world are also struggling. One in particular concerns me: the arctic. I’m fairly certain that everyone has heard about the ice caps melting and has maybe even seen pictures of starving polar bears on melted glaciers, but the situation has far more depth than is usually mentioned. The arctic is one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth due to the extreme environmental conditions. Animals and plants that live there must be extremely adaptable to the harsh cold and desolate rocky conditions that make up a majority of the arctic circle.

Fig. 1 Oil Drill

Contrary to the harsh living conditions, many different species have been able to thrive in the arctic until recently. There have been many recent threats to life in the arctic circle, most of which are either caused or accelerated by human involvement. One of the major threats to wildlife is the oil and gas industry. The arctic circle is a goldmine for large reservoirs of petroleum and natural gases, especially Alaska in the case of the United States industry. Extracting oil and gas is an expensive and difficult process, but with recent technological developments, it has become faster and easier, leading to an increase in demand for extraction in Alaska. Oil companies have begun pressuring the US government to increase the amount of land and coastal areas they are allowed to work on which poses a large threat to the native populations and the wildlife in these areas. These specific areas they want access to are those with large polar bear populations and porcupine caribou. If these areas are destroyed by the fossil fuel industry, this could signal major problems for both of these animals along with countless others.

Fig. 2 Melting Glacier

The other major problem threatening the wildlife of the arctic is climate change. As mentioned in the beginning, the ice caps and glaciers melting is constantly mentioned in the debate on climate change, and while people know that these issues are happening, for many it just hasn’t sunk in yet that many of the wildlife populations living on this ice are becoming severely at risk for extinction. Polar bears use the ice to hunt, walruses use the ice to rest after long journeys, algae rests under the ice because it is an ideal feeding spot. These glaciers and ice sheets are more than just frozen water, they are entire ecosystems that are being lost because of climate change.

There are so many things happening in the world right now that it is impossible to focus on everything at once, but I believe that it is important to bring up the threats to the arctic circle in order to try and preserve this unique ecosystem. The amount of damage being done here just breaks my heart.