Risks in Economic Development

• Risks of Economic Development in Cold Environments

  • Wilderness areas are wild, natural environments that are mostly unchanged by people
  • They are mainly undisturbed, undeveloped, and usually uninhabited
  • They provide niche habitats for organisms, which protect biodiversity
  • Scientists can study the natural environment and processes
  • They provide opportunities for recreation and tourism
  • They have cultural and spiritual value for indigenous people
• Wilderness areas are wild, natural environments that are mostly unchanged by people
• They are mainly undisturbed, undeveloped, and usually uninhabited
• Importance of wilderness areas

  • They provide niche habitats for organisms, which protect biodiversity
  • Scientists can research plants and animals in their natural habitats
  • Comparing natural ecosystems to managed ecosystems is useful
  • They are the last remaining areas that are unaltered by human activity
• Cold environments are fragile and take a long time to recover if damaged
• Climate change is one of the main threats to extreme environments
• Other factors which can damage them are mainly caused by humans
• Impacts of damage to cold environments

  • Plant growth is already very slow: If plants are damaged (e.g. by vehicle tyres) they take even longer to regrow, if at all
  • As species are already highly specialised, they would find it difficult to adapt to further change: e.g. polar bears are adapted to hunt on sea ice and their number are decreasing as sea ice melts earlier each year
  • Pollution: Oil spills, such as the Exxon Valdez, have caused environmental catastrophes in the past
  • Land degradation: Permafrost melting due to buildings heating up land, especially around big urban centres
• Sustainable management of cold environments

  1. Makes sure an environment can recover quickly from any use

  2. Prevents damage to the environment

  3. Helps local people get benefit from their environment

  4. Helps local people understand the benefits
• Basic management strategies


  • Using geothermal power where available
  • Having conservation zones to protect Arctic fauna and flora
  • Promoting native cultures
  • Protecting the environment from pollution
  • Promoting ecotourism
  • Use of technology
• Sustainable management at a local level

  • Iceland uses many sustainable energy supplies
  • Because it is volcanic, the heat under the earth can be harnessed for Geothermal Energy
  • The steam from the heat drives turbines to generate electricity but is also used to heat greenhouses where crops are grown
• How global actions can protect

  1. The 1961 Antarctic Treaty restricts commercial exploitation of Antarctica

  2. The 1998 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty set out rules about what can be done there: No new activities are allowed until their impact has been thoroughly assessed, Cruise ships to the area, are restricted to no more than 500 passengers, There are visitor quotas of 100 and no more, No military or nuclear activities
• Climate change is damaging the Arctic, and in 2008, polar bears were placed on the Endangered Species List
• Government role in protecting cold environments

  1. Regulation of development is needed to prevent damage to the environment e.g. mineral and energy mining can cause ground and water pollution and logging activities destroy habitats

  2. Environmental protections laws can be put in place, such as the 1964 Wilderness Act which designates wilderness areas but also protects them from future development, large parts of Alaska have protection laws in place

  3. Investing in environmental science work such as NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the USA, which works to protect marine habitats and fisheries and check any activities are sustainable
• Role of conservation groups

  1. They can put pressure on governments to protect cold environments at risk or damaged

  2. Groups such as Greenpeace and World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) encourage sustainable management and pressure governments to prevent any actions that would cause damage

  3. They collect data and information independent of governments and monitor the reliability of other data

  4. Create petitions, lobby and campaign for change

  5. Report on issues and release findings to the public and governments, which spreads awareness on issues and boost donations
• Economic development and conservation of cold environments


  • The Antarctic Treaty has stopped any exploitation of the great mineral wealth found in the area
  • There is some economic activity in Antarctica, such as tourism, but the treaty limits the number of tourists that can visit at a time
  • International treaties can be used to manage a cold environment and protect it from the negative effects of economic development