Stars campaign to save the Arctic

Sir Paul McCartney, Penelope Cruz, Robert Redford and One Direction are among the stars backing a new campaign to save the Arctic.

Edward Norton, Woody Harrelson, Jude Law, John Hurt, Rita Ora and Thom Yorke have also joined forces with environmental activists at Greenpeace to protect the uninhabited area surrounding the North Pole by demanding a ban on drilling and unsustainable fishing in Arctic waters.

To show their support, the famous faces have signed an Arctic scroll that will be planted 4 kilometres under the ice at the North Pole.

McCartney said: "The Arctic is one of the most beautiful and last untouched regions on our planet, but now it's under threat. Some countries and companies want to open it up to oil drilling and industrial fishing and do to the Arctic what they've done to the rest of our fragile planet.

"It seems madness that we are willing to go to the ends of the Earth to find the last drops of oil when our best scientific minds are telling us we need to get off fossil fuels to give our children a future. At some time, in some place, we need to take a stand. I believe that time is now and that place is the Arctic."

- AAP