The Arctic is undergoing rapid climate change and is projected to experience the most warming this century of any world region. We review the societal aspects of these current and projected changes. Indigenous knowledge and local knowledge holders living in communities across the Arctic have detected unprecedented increases in temperature, altered precipitation regimes, and changing weather patterns, documenting impacts on terrestrial and marine environments. These local observations situate climate change as one of multiple interacting stressors. Arctic societies have exhibited resilience to climate change, but vulnerabilities are emerging at the nexus of changing environmental conditions and socioeconomic pressures. Infrastructure is highly susceptible to permafrost thaw, coastal erosion, and sea level rise, compounded by the age of infrastructure, maintenance challenges, and cost of adapting. Livelihoods and cultural activities linked to subsistence harvesting have been affected by changes to wildlife, with coping mechanisms undermined by long-term processes of land dispossession and landscape fragmentation. Reduced sea ice coverage and changing ice dynamics are creating opportunities for enhanced shipping, oil and gas production, and deep-water fisheries. Legal, infrastructural, economic, and climatic challenges are expected to constrain such developments, with concerns over the distribution of potential benefits. Adaptation is already taking place in some sectors and regions, with efforts directly targeting climate impacts and also addressing underlying determinants of vulnerability. Barriers and limits to adapting are evident. Research that develops projections of future climate impacts is advancing, but studies examining the implications of such changes for communities or economies remain in their infancy.

中文翻译：

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快速变化的北极及其社会影响

北极正在经历快速的气候变化，预计将经历本世纪世界任何地区中最严重的变暖。我们回顾了这些当前和预计变化的社会方面。居住在整个北极社区的土著知识和地方知识持有者发现了前所未有的温度升高、降水状况的改变和天气模式的变化，记录了对陆地和海洋环境的影响。这些局部观察将气候变化视为多种相互作用的压力源之一。北极社会已表现出对气候变化的适应能力，但在不断变化的环境条件和社会经济压力的结合下，脆弱性正在出现。基础设施极易受到永久冻土融化、海岸侵蚀和海平面上升的影响，基础设施时代、维护挑战和适应成本使情况更加复杂。与生计收获相关的生计和文化活动受到野生动物变化的影响，应对机制因土地剥夺和景观破碎的长期过程而受到破坏。减少的海冰覆盖和不断变化的冰层动态为加强航运、石油和天然气生产以及深水渔业创造了机会。预计法律、基础设施、经济和气候方面的挑战将限制这种发展，并担心潜在利益的分配。一些部门和地区已经在进行适应，努力直接针对气候影响并解决脆弱性的潜在决定因素。适应的障碍和限制是显而易见的。