Earth has entered an unprecedented era of transformative change. Human actions have joined biophysical forces as drivers of multi-faceted developments on a global scale. As a result, future climatic conditions will differ profoundly from the relatively stable climate that humans have experienced over the past 10,000 years. These global forces are already generating rapid and far-reaching ecological changes in the Arctic. In turn, developments in the Arctic issues constructively must recognize these developments as a point of departure.