GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

Area A: Actions are expected to identify, assess, and analyse major impacts and risks of remote and local sources of pollution on the health, well-being and food security of Arctic societies and ecosystems and beyond, and propose adaptation and resilience strategies. Actions should improve the understanding of the interactions between the changing climate system, changes in biological diversity and pollutant levels, including climate-driven ecosystem changes that are affecting natural emissions, such as wetlands (CH4), wildfires (CO2, black carbon), pollutant deposition or transfer and bioaccumulation in marine systems. They should analyse the cultural, socio‑economic and health impacts on residents of the Arctic, their livelihood and food security, as well as adverse effects on the marine and terrestrial biodiversity of the region.

Area B: Rising temperatures induce thawing of permafrost, bringing an extra layer of complexity for assessing pollution and health risks in the Arctic environments. Greenhouse gases released from thawing permafrost threaten to cause irreversible changes in the Arctic and other regions. Thawing permafrost causes change in mechanical properties of soils, which in turn deteriorates stability and service-life of built infrastructure and increases coastal erosion. Actions should address and analyse the adverse effects and pollution risks linked to permafrost thaw, infrastructure degradation and failure, and other associated risks for the environment and human health and well-being. Actions will focus on an improved quantification of these effects, as well as emerging contaminants and re-emission of legacy contaminants due to melting cryosphere or thawing permafrost.

For both options, proposals should focus on an improved quantification of these effects and explore pathways to minimise risks and should be linked with state-of-the-art climate change predictions coupled with socio-economic models; assess the ecosystems’ responses to risk factors and how these responses are affecting the well-being of indigenous populations and local communities but also health of the environment, in a One Health approach; identify adaptation and mitigation strategies, aiming at building resilient Arctic socio-ecological systems.

The participation of technical sciences, social sciences and humanities disciplines is important for addressing the complex challenges of this topic, as well as engaging local communities in the research process, as appropriate.