The Environmental Audit Sub-Committee on Polar Research was established by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) to analyse the role of UK science in understanding climate and environmental transformation in the polar areas. The EAC recently issued a report titled “What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic,” advocating for a greater emphasis on Arctic concerns in Whitehall and a rise in funding for research. The report highlights three key areas: impacts to the UK from Arctic changes, Arctic science and research, and Arctic politics and security. It emphasises that the Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet, resulting in sea level rise and extreme weather that could affect 1.5 million UK properties by 2080. The report urges the government to invest in long-term and collaborative Arctic research, appoint an envoy to the Arctic, and be more ambitious in reducing domestic emissions to tackle geopolitical tensions and resource competition between the West, Russia, and China in the Arctic. The UK currently produces 10% of the world’s Arctic research papers, but there are significant gaps in knowledge and funding. The report urges the government to use the RRS Sir David Attenborough more in the region to address this issue.
Press Release from the Environmental Audit Sub-Committee on Polar Research.