Polar regions are the coldest and most unpopulated regions on the planet, yet they are distinctive in their landscapes, climate, fauna, and flora. This defined uniqueness makes polar regions outstanding. In the north they are within an area called the Arctic Circle and in the south they are within an area called the Antarctic Convergence.
Despite being located at opposite ends of the planet and being significantly different in many ways, the environmental histories of the Arctic and Antarctic share much in common and have often been closely connected. The Arctic and Antarctic modulate the global climate system, their productive oceans support vast numbers of plankton, fish, sea birds and mammals, and their ice sheets lock up the majority of the Earth’s fresh water. These are places that have witnessed some of the worst environmental degradation in recent history. But they are also the locations of some of the most farsighted measures of environmental protection.
Many countries have vested interests in the polar regions and are involved on different levels. They are places where people have sought to conquer nature through exploration and economic development, but in many ways, they remain wild and untamed. The intense, visible, and radical changes taking place in polar regions raises concerns regarding anticipated society’s use such as commercial development (fishery, shipping, logistics) and the development of tourism to areas previously inaccessible for the wider public, and what this means toward maintaining natural environmental protection. Scientific observation and knowledge have an important role in shaping an understanding of responsibility for the environment in these regions.
