Between 50 to 80 percent of the Arctic ecosystem could be seriously damaged by 2050 if industrial development there doesn’t slow down, according to a new report published yesterday by the U.N. Environment Programme. As much as 15 percent of the region is already affected by development. The report focuses on development and doesn’t take climate change into account; other research by the U.N. has found that the Arctic will experience dramatic effects from global warming. On a related note, the eight nations that surround the Arctic launched an international university yesterday that is meant to help counter threats to the region’s environment and cultures.
