Cover of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
(ACIA) Report
the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Sheila Watt Cloutier.
The chapter leads were also encouraged to involve
young scientists where possible. One notable success was a young researcher (Margareta Johansson)
who acted as an assistant in the ACIA process, a
co-lead in the Snow, Water, Ice, and Permafrost in
the Arctic (SWIPA) follow-up assessment of 2011,
and an independent lead in the forthcoming Arctic
Freshwater Synthesis. Interaction among the chapter authors was stimulated by holding cross-fertilization meetings, and chapters were added or split
during the evolution of the assessment. Altogether,
the assessment was prepared over four years, and
involved an international team of more than 300
scientists, other experts, and knowledgeable members of the indigenous communities.
Did ACIA reach its goals? ACIA was an overwhelming success and raised public awareness around
the world of climate change issues in the Arctic.
This was achieved through an extensive outreach
program targeted at the general public, students,
policy makers, Arctic residents, religious leaders
and royalty. The findings from ACIA were fed into
the 4th IPCC Assessment of 2007;2 some ACIA
Are there aspects that could have been improved
authors were also IPCC chapter authors. Because
with hindsight? Sadly, it is not possible to identify
ACIA was the world´s first assessment of a specific
a global policy decision based on ACIA findings in
geographical region, the Polar Chapter of IPCC had
the same way that the Montreal Protocol and its
a vast amount of detail upon which to draw. Com-
amendments can be seen to follow from assess-
bined with the amplified changes in the Arctic, this
ments of stratospheric ozone depletion. Mitigating
made the Polar Chapter of IPCC generally accepted
measures against climate change are, apparently,
as the strongest of the impacts chapters. There is
simply too complex and costly at the present time.
no doubt that ACIA strongly contributed to the suc-
However, ACIA is the cornerstone of Arctic Change
cess of IPCC and its joint award of the Nobel Peace
Assessments that will continue to update ACIA
Prize in 2007. Although ACIA was not intended to
findings and will be available when policy-makers
be a textbook, the strength of its findings is based
need information on Arctic change.
on a long-term perspective and an understanding
based on first principles. Consequently, the ACIA
As in other assessments, there was a lack of syn-
technical volume and its chapters3 that were pub-
chrony between the stage of development of the
lished and widely distributed in the scientific jour-
climate change models that should have been used
nal Ambio, became reference and teaching texts
to determine impacts that, in turn, should have
that are still used extensively today. The excellent
been used to drive assessments of consequences
graphics and schematic diagrams used throughout
for people and construction of adaptation options.
the text and in the popular science summary vol-
This is a perennial problem that has not yet been
ume greatly added to the importance of ACIA as
resolved. When the ACIA Report was first released,
teaching and outreach tools.
only the popular science volume was available and,
4
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02 IASC Initiatives