In Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost U.S. town, a solitary figure walks near a snow-covered house and boat. Living 335 miles (539 kilometers) above the Arctic Circle, the 1,800 residents of this predominantly Eskimo settlement do not see the sun from late November until January.

The Poles are warming at a rate much faster than the rest of the planet. Average temperatures in Barrow have increased by 40F (2.50C) over the last 30 years. In western Canada and eastern Russia, temperatures are also up 40F to 70F over the last 50 years, a rate nearly double the global average. The warming temperatures in Siberia may dry out peat bogs, which are natural carbon sinks that can help to offset fossil fuel emissions.

Read fast facts about global warming.

See todays top news stories.

Photo gallery by Chelsea Lane-Miller