The 2013 Yearbook of the United Nations Environment Programme, which presents the most important environmental issues, points to the need for effective management and information for the conservation of the Arctic, where in recent years there has been a continuous decline in the ice sheet.

In this sense, among the most important data, the decrease recorded in the summer ice sheet stands out, which has registered a minimum of 3.4 million square kilometers during the past year, which is 18% less than in the last data analyzed in 2007. Added to this is the decrease, also recorded, in land ice levels.

This melting ice implies greater access to natural resources such as natural gas, which means a higher level of human activity. According to the report, 30% of the undiscovered natural gas is located in the Arctic and 70% of the oil resources are located in northern Alaska, eastern Greenland and the Amerasian basin.

Among the recommendations suggested by the report to alleviate this problem is the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to which should be added a study of the effects of melting ice on ecosystems before establishing new environmental exploitation actions in the Arctic. Similarly, according to the report, indigenous peoples must be taken into account when establishing policies, while the development and implementation of effective systems for monitoring and providing alerts is necessary.