ABSTRACT
The Antarctic and Arctic regions are experiencing the effects of climate change much faster than anywhere else on earth. There is acute awareness among States with polar interests that climate change is transforming the physical and ecological character of the polar regions. This realisation has led to a range of governance responses at each polar region surveyed in this chapter. The chapter offers an overview of climate change impacts in the Antarctic and Arctic, respectively, an assessment of the relevance of the global climate for the polar regions, and the legal and policy responses adopted by the Antarctic Treaty System and the Arctic Council. It is argued that while climate change has become a primary policy concern in both regions, there are substantial variations in the governance approach each respective regime has taken, and there is an urgent need to relate the strategic objectives of the polar regimes to the achievement of the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal.
