Positive Impact

  • The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the largest national wildlife refuge in the world, has established a significant amount of national parks. 
  • These "parks" were created to protect and conserve the natural land and wildlife. 
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Negative Impact

There aren't a lot of people running around building houses so development is not a major problem, nor is human population. The threat comes from airborne pollutants, which have brought measurable levels of pollutants such as DDT and PCB's to even remote areas. The biggest threat, however, is from oil and gas development. Facilities are developed for the purpose of future national security needs. 

  • Global warming- the permafrost contains a significant amount of dead plant material; as the permafrost warms this material begins to decay, releasing even more CO2 into the atmosphere.
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