A warm Arctic six-pack of 2008 science articles on how global warming is transforming the Arctic:

1. Arctic Ice Gone in 5 Years – First Time in One Million Years — “We’re going to see huge changes in the Arctic ecosystem”

2. Burning Down Our House — The roof of our house is on fire while the leaders of our family sit comfortably in the living room below preoccupied with “political realities”.

3. Things Happen Much Faster in the Arctic — “Things are happening much faster in the Arctic. I think it will be summer ice-free by 2015,” said David Barber, an Arctic climatologist at the University of Manitoba.

4. Arctic Is the Canary in the Coalmine — The Arctic is “ground zero” for climate change, with temperatures rising far faster than anywhere else on the planet.

5. Arctic Meltdown Signals Long-Term Trend — Soaring temperatures have led to the collapse of several huge ice shelves in the Canadian Arctic over the past few weeks.

6. Arctic Oil and Gas Rush Alarms Scientists — As greenhouse gas pollution destroys Arctic ecosystems, countries like Canada are spending millions not to halt the destruction but to exploit it.

Oh yeah, and about those polar bears:

Polar Bears Go Hungry as Icy Habitat Melts Away — The iconic animal of the frozen north, the polar bear, is starving to death because climate change is melting the Arctic Ocean sea ice.

Oil vs Polar Bears in Alaska — A coalition of environmental groups sued the George W. Bush administration Monday for delaying a decision to protect polar bears threatened with extinction

Polar Bears’ Future Bleak in Melting Arctic — “Without taking serious and urgent action to stabilize the climate, there is no future for polar bears” says Andrew Derocher, Chair of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Polar Bear Specialist Group.