Virtual Library

Polar Books is an International Polar Year (IPY) project featuring books and photos that reflect IPY themes.

The Inuit people and their ancestors have inhabited the area for thousands of years, perhaps as long as 4,000. Their cultures were well-adapted to the climate and environment.

By the turn of this century many of the world’s islands and coast lines would have changed or disappeared altogether, placing at risk millions of people whose lives depends upon the coast. Photos and stories created by students at English River High School, Mahe.

Fishing and reindeer farming have always been the main businesses here. Both the king crab and several different types of fish are abundent here, and the area has good grazing pastures for reindeer.

Uummannaq is a town in northwestern Greenland with a population of around 1,500. Photos and stories created by students at Atuarfik Edvard Kruse in May 2009.

The effect of global climate change upon Shishmaref is sometimes seen as the most dramatic in the world. Photos and stories created by students at Shishmaref High School in August, 2008

This report is a follow-up to the 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, focussing on AMAP activities with respect to Observations, Short-Lived Forcers of Climate Change, the Arctic Carbon Cycle, and Predictive Capability.

Turning the Tide presents the stories of young people from around the world whose lives and ultimately human rights are affected by the everyday reality of climate change

View LIFE Magazine images from the Arctic. Most are of a historical nature and many have not been published before. 

Access selected high-resolution graphics from UNEP's Global Outlook for Ice and Snow Report

Global Outlook for Ice and Snow brings together the latest findings and the latest thinking on ice and snow and climate change.

The posters address the question: "Why, and how, are the polar regions and polar research important to all people on Earth?" These posters present and illustrate a broad sample of polar issues and facts -- they are a "textbook" for your wall.

This report maps the principal areas of humans rights concern raised by climate change, and explores some of the possible benefits and dangers of adopting human rights tools and principles in the climate change domain.