The Arctic: Mirror of Life

Religion, Science and the Environment, an NGO established by Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, opens its seventh symposium on September 6th. Titled "The Arctic: Mirror of Life," the focus of this year's symposium is climate change, its effects on polar regions, and what that means, locally and globally, to both humans and ecosystems.

The physical and biological impacts of a warmer climate on Arctic ecosystems will be tremendous, affecting nearly all marine- and land-based wildlife species. Even a few degrees increase in seawater temperature will affect the Arctic marine ecosystem in many ways. Warmer temperatures will lead to increased biological productivity at the lower parts of the marine ecosystem. Reductions in sea ice will drastically shrink marine habitat for polar bears, ice-inhabiting seals, and some seabirds, pushing some species toward extinction. Caribou, reindeer and other land animals are likely to be increasingly stressed as climate change alters their access to food sources, breeding grounds, and migratory routes.

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Human communities also survive in a delicate balance with the Arctic climate and are equally sensitive to change. Indigenous populations in the region maintain a strong connection to the environment through subsistence on wildlife and natural resources, a practice that has endured over thousands of years. Indigenous communities, whose knowledge of the land, sea, and ice dates back perhaps as many as 30,000 years, are already reporting signs of significant climatic change. Ice now forms later in the year and breaks up sooner. Changes in the ice pack alter travel routes over land and sea. Experienced hunters are falling through thinning ice into seawater cold enough to kill in minutes. Once-frozen coastlines are eroding, destroying homes.

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What happens to the Arctic and its human population concerns us all, for the response of the area and its people to climate change serves as an indicator for what may occur in other regions and to our planet as a whole. Arctic indigenous people, with their profound sense of spirituality, remind us that we are part of nature and not masters of it.

On Friday, representatives of various religions will pray together in silence before the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site in danger of disappearing before our very eyes.

The prayer will be held in silence before the unfolding drama of colliding ice, continuously changing colours and sounds, as one of the most active glaciers in the world reaches the sea.

This gathering is a call for all humanity to come together and embrace the challenges that life on this planet is facing. Our responsibility in the failing of the earth’s natural defences can no longer be ignored. The thawing of the Arctic ice is a testimony to this.

Pope Benedict XVI mentioned the symposium during his Wednesday audience, and added:

Encouraged by the growing recognition of the need to preserve the environment, I invite all of you to join me in praying and working for greater respect for the wonders of God's creation. [source]

For running updates on the Arctic symposium, visit RSE's Arctic Journal.