As Arctic sea ice vanishes, patches of dark waters absorb solar radiation rather than reflecting it back out of the atmosphere. So Arctic temperatures have risen more than twice as fast as the rest of the world over the last 30 years.

The loss of sea ice also threatens Arctic wildlife, from polar bears and seals to plankton and algae. ... See more

Sea ice minimum has fallen below 4m sq km for the second time in 40 years as the climate crisis rapidly transforms the region

Current measures allow bottom trawling and dredging in delicately balanced marine environments. Protected areas are inadequately controlled.

Environmental watchdog group COAST (Community of Arran Seabed Trust) claims the government has failed to act on years of pledges to improve the inshore marine environment.

Pledges in the past year to establish four new marine protected areas, a seabird conservation strategy and a £1.5 million investment in measures to track inshore fishing vessels remain unfulfilled. “They say they are going to act and change things to make a difference and protect the environment and they just don’t do it. We’ve had something like 5 years of failed promises, every year when they announce their programme for the year they say ‘we will do this or that’, then the following year comes and they have still not achieved it. On paper, things look great in terms of what they want to do, but it never happens.”

COAST's demands for action are echoed by a nationwide campaign group Our Seas, which includes shoreline-based businesses and other organisations, among them the National Trust for Scotland. ... See more

The slate grey waters around Arran harbour a rich marine world of colourful sea slugs, long-clawed lobsters, kelp forests, vibrant beds of…