ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the development of international co-operation between the Arctic states on environmental issues in the region. It explores the origins and development of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), outlines the programmatic operations initiated by the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy and discusses the genesis of and early activities related to the Arctic Council. World War Two brought increased activity in the Arctic as it was militarised and the Cold War continued the trend, completing the region’s division into two sectors—the Soviet and Western. Arctic ozone depletion was introduced as a possible subject for multidisciplinary study at the 1992 IASC Council to promote the study of the effects on arctic biota of increased penetration of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) resulting from ozone depletion and also circumpolar epidemiological studies and medical research on UV-B effects. Land-based sources within or outside the Arctic are the main sources of inputs to the Arctic marine environment.
