We must act fast to stop the Arctic getting even smaller

By March this year, the Arctic had shrunk to the smallest size ever recorded but we have an opportunity to reverse these trends when the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization meets this week, says Ranulph Fiennes.

Thirty-five years ago, as part of a global expedition, Charles Burton and I travelled across the Arctic Ocean via the North Pole, camping for three months on a fast-moving ice floe.

It was, for us, a journey that defined our lives, and formed one leg of an enduring world record.