Arctic communities wrestle with climate change

This week the Arctic Frontiers conference has taken place in Tromso, Norway. Experts were looking at solutions to the increasing amount of development across the region. As the world wakes up to climate change, many Arctic communities are already feeling its drastic impact. The polar bear population is dwindling as Arctic ice melts - they either starve to death or drown in their search for fish.

As a result, some Canadian communities have been seeing more and more polar bears moving closer to towns and cities in their desperate search for food. Close encounters can be dangerous for people. Towns, which depend on the bears for tourism, have round the clock 'bear alert' patrols, using guns to scare off wayward bears. Problem animals are captured and flown back into the wild by helicopter.

Decades ago, the Inuit of Greenland could survive the same way as they have for hundreds of years - from fishing and seal hunting. Everything hunted was used, the skins would be turned into items like warm clothes and tents.

Now, Greenland's ice sheets are melting at an unexpected rate, while sea ice is also disappearing. That wreaks havoc on the communities living in the area, who have to adapt their longstanding ways of life at an increasingly rapid pace.

One community is Uummannaq, on Greenland's northwest coast. Formerly, fishers used dog sleds on the ice in winter and traveled by boat when the ice melted in the summer. Now, as the ice melts earlier in the spring, there's a period when it is not strong enough to hold the sleds but can also not be penetrated by smaller boats. Fishermen are desperate because they can not feed their families.

Some Inuit are still able to work in fish processing plants, like here in Ilulissat, Greenland. Most fishermen and hunters avoid fjords where ice has become thin, but the fish that do come up in nets are increasingly those that prefer warmer waters, such as cod. In total, more than 4 million people live in the Arctic region.

Even though the disappearing ice cap could lead to higher sea levels all over the world, Greenland's indigeous people are the first to feel the effects. Here, an Inuit girl stands in her backyard in the village of Ilimanaq. An EU ban on the trading of seal products produced in or imported to the EU has wrecked havoc on such communities by preventing them from supplementing their fishing incomes.

Nomadic reindeer herders in the Russian Arctic have had the same way of life for centuries, but increased drilling for gas in the area threatens their traditional migration patterns. While they have embraced some forms of modern technology and education, traditional activities like driving the reindeer sleds are becoming more difficult, as shorter frozen seasons make the ground slushier.

As sea ice melts, it also opens the door to a resource rush. Countries such Denmark, Russia, Norway, Canada, the US and even China are vying to tap into the Arctic's vast resources - nearly a quarter of the world's oil and gas. Opening up the area's reserves could benefit the Inuit, freeing Greenland from aid dependence from former ruler Denmark. Here, Norway's Vidar Viking breaks through the ice.

Ironically, thawing Arctic sea ice may play a part in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. A longer summer season in the Arctic means ships could take a more direct route between Europe and Asia. For example, a cargo ship sailing through the central Arctic from Murmansk, Russia to China could use up to 40 percent less fuel than if it went through the Suez Canal. Travel times would also be minimized.

The challenging and changing Arctic environment makes working together essential for survival. The Arctic Council, formed in 1996, includes eight Arctic nations along with indigenous groups. Its aim: to cooperate on issues of development and environmental protection. The Arctic's resources mean countries are keen to join, with China and India among the latest to gain permanent observer status.