Iceland

Akureyri is one of the few places in Iceland with forest.

This small Icelandic city thinks big about going green

The Big Fix

The small town of Akureyri, in Iceland, has set itself a big goal: to become the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2030. It hopes that going green can serve as a model for other places.

Glaciologists say that between 1995 and 2010 Iceland’s glaciers lost about a meter of vertical thickness per year. The the “Blue Blob” appeared, halving that loss.

‘Blue Blob’ slows glacial melt in Iceland as temperatures rise across the globe

Environment
a sign outside of a clinic welcomes asylum seekers in various languages

Iceland fast-tracks Ukrainian refugees to residency, employment

Ukraine
Album covers of some of the allbums from artists included in the end-of-year music playlist with recommendations from The World staff. Clockwise, startiing from the top left corner: Adrian Quesada's "Boleros Psicodélicos," Sillvana Estrada's "Marchita," V

A musical journey around the globe 2022, a playlist

Music
Haitian President Jovenel Moise arrives for an interview at his home in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse assassinated in overnight attack

Top of The World
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stand together at the Capitol

US and Afghan presidents to meet in Washington amid troop withdrawal

Top of The World

President Joe Biden will meet with Afghan counterpart, President Ashraf Ghani, at the White House, as the two countries prepare for US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. And, Australia’s largest city goes into partial lockdown over a spike in the COVID-19 delta variant in Sydney. Also, Palestinians are protesting the death of popular activist Nizar Banat while in Palestinian Authority custody.

Huge green pipes on sandy ground against a dark blue sky

Latin American and Caribbean countries use volcanic landscapes to tap geothermal energy

The Big Fix

Global capacity for geothermal energy has nearly doubled over the past two decades.

A polar bear is shown in the distance standing on a piece of ice among a large grouping of flat floating ice pieces.

How the Trump administration’s climate denial left its mark on the Arctic Council

Talk of global warming was out, and relations among the eight countries that make up the council, once a highly collaborative group and a steady force for climate action, became dysfunctional.

A man stands in front of the Skogafoss waterfall in Skogar, Iceland, March 8, 2020.

2020: The year of the primal scream — and other pandemic remedies 

COVID-19

The pandemic pushed our collective mental health to the breaking point with unprecedented stress, anxiety and fear. From screaming and baking to writing and singing, here are just some of the ways people around the world coped under lockdown.

The harbor of Nuuk, Greenland's capital.

China’s Arctic ambitions have revived US interest in the region

As part of its global Belt and Road Initiative, China is investing in the Arctic — setting up research stations, investing in mining and energy, and working with Russia to create a new sea route through the Arctic Ocean. It’s also stoked concerns from the US.