Building Resilient Habitats Map

Chill the Drills! Alaska/The Arctic Regions

To the north of the Arctic Circle and beyond Alaska's Brooks Range Mountains lies America's Arctic region - the final frontier in American conservation.

From Point Hope on Alaska's far western edge to the pristine coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the east, this land and the seas that surround it are our single most endangered national treasure. The Arctic's rolling tundra and wild rivers, precious wetlands and ponds, deep lakes and sparkling coastal waters are home to a stunning array of wildlife. Nearly 200 species of birds nest on the region's tundra and wetlands while caribou, muskoxen, wolverines, grizzly and polar bears roam the vast expanse of land. Walrus, bowhead and beluga whales occupy the arctic waters.

America's Arctic lies on the front lines of global warming as the regions are heating up at a rate that is about twice as fast as the rest of the world. Set up by the United Nations to determine the impact of global warming, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has declared that the Arctic likely remains the most vulnerable place on the planet to the impacts of global warming. The delicate equilibrium formed between the land and nature is now threatened by rising temperatures - a threat symbolized by the current endangerment of the polar bear.

The severe effects of global warming on Arctic habitats and wildlife serve as an early warning to the dilemma that other wildlife will face as the globe heats up. Arctic and Antarctic species such as walrus, seals and penguins may soon find themselves in the same precarious situation as the polar bear. Dirty energy like oil and coal amounts to a one-two punch for the Arctic: The region's wildlife suffers immediate threats from pollution, industry and spills. But the inevitable impacts of this kind of development are more far-reaching, for burning fossil fuels found in the Arctic will only accelerate global warming and hasten the disappearance of animals like the polar bear.

The Sierra Club is leading the charge to permanently protect the special places in America's Arctic and to shift our country to an energy policy that makes use of good clean alternatives. By raising awareness and encouraging public action through its Chill the Drills campaign, the Sierra Club hopes to curtail the threats posed to the Artic by global warming, but also by offshore drilling and the dangerous consequences that result from such action.

For more information about the Chill the Drills campaign and how you can get involved please visit www.chillthedrills.org