The Arctic is undergoing rapid and profound climate change, warming an alarming 3-4 times faster than the global average and expected to be "profoundly different" by 2050. A startling record of 38 °C (100 °F) was observed inside the Arctic Circle on June 20, 2020, a temperature previously anticipated only by 2100. This extreme warming is causing largely irreversible transformations, including significant sea ice decline, accelerated melting of the Greenland ice sheet, and extensive permafrost thawing, with impacts expected to last for centuries or even millennia.

These changes drastically affect natural life, from spreading boreal forests and colonizing beavers to increased ocean acidification threatening marine species. The Arctic Ocean is projected to experience its first ice-free events, unprecedented in 700,000 years, potentially as early as the late 2020s or early 2030s, severely impacting sea-ice dependent fauna like polar bears. For humans, indigenous cultures face the loss of their heritage, and billions of dollars in infrastructure are threatened by thawing permafrost. Globally, the Arctic's melting contributes significantly to sea-level rise and releases vast amounts of CO2 and methane from permafrost, further accelerating worldwide warming through powerful feedback loops.