The Citizens Pledge for the Central Arctic Ocean

The Central Arctic Ocean is a global treasure requiring international protection. Its sea ice-dominated ecosystems regulate global temperatures, stabilize the jet stream, and create remarkable marine productivity from plankton blooms and ice algae to fish, birds and marine mammals. Its connections to Arctic coastal seas means it is relied upon by Arctic Indigenous peoples and coastal communities for food, cultural continuity, and economic opportunity.

The Arctic is warming four times faster than other parts of the planet, shrinking summer sea ice, setting off cascading changes to Arctic wildlife, creating great uncertainty for people living in the Arctic, and increasing extreme weather events further south.

At this moment of greatest risk, the Central Arctic Ocean faces additional challenges from new industrial activities. These include transpolar shipping, which would bring large vessels through these waters to connect non-Arctic manufactured goods and bulk materials to distant markets, as well as deep sea mining — an untried method of strip mining metals from sea floors, continental crusts, and hydrothermal vents. Almost no consideration has taken place regarding how such activities could be done safely and without damaging the Central Arctic Ocean.

As organizations and individuals who care deeply about the climate risks already impacting or threatening the Arctic, we urge immediate action to protect the Central Arctic Ocean.