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Arctic

Large icebergs float away as the sun rises near Kulusuk, Greenland, Aug. 16, 2019.

Arctic alternatives: Part II

Critical State

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Arctic Council has been on hiatus. This week’s Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive into the history of the council as a model of international cooperation.

A CH-47F Chinook helicopter sits nestled in the Alaska Range to offload National Park Service equipment, supplies and personnel on Kahiltna Glacier April 27, 2022. 

Arctic alternatives: Part I

Critical State
This mother polar bear and her two cubs are headed down to the sea ice in the Svalbard archipelago. She’ll have to teach them to hunt seals, their primary prey, in a changing landscape.

Svalbard’s polar bears persist as sea ice melts — but not forever

Climate Change
An elder wearing sunglasses and a white coat points off into the Arctic distance while standing by another man wearing sunglasses.

New app helps Inuit adapt to changing climate: ‘It’s time for the harpoon and computer to work together’

The Big Fix
Smoke rises from wildfires near Berezovka River in Russia

A heat wave in Siberia signals dangerous Arctic warming

Abandoned snow-covered buildings

‘I am a hostage of the north’: Trapped in a post-Gulag Arctic city

Development

Many Russians in the far north have been waiting for more than two decades to be resettled in lower latitudes. They are caught between Moscow’s grand plans for Arctic development and an exodus of aging Soviet workers longing to see flowers rather than blizzards in the springtime.

A brown fox sits in the grass

One arctic fox’s incredible journey from Norway to Canada

Environment

Scientists investigating how arctic foxes use sea ice fitted animals with tracking collars. The data showed one female fox traveled more than 2,000 miles in 76 days.

A large oil tanker docks amid ice and snow in the Arctic. On the side, the ship's name is written in Russian characters.

An environmental newspaper fights for press freedom in the Russian Arctic

The Big Melt

The Barents Observer keeps a close watch on the Russian Arctic because it’s part of the neighborhood, and because there’s a lot at stake there, for Russians and the rest of us.

portrait

As the Arctic warms up, a ‘new ocean’ is bringing new commerce to the top of the world

The Big Melt

As the Arctic warms, it’s opening up a whole new economic frontier, with big opportunities for tourism, shipping and resource development, including oil and gas. But that also brings a whole new array of risks for the region and the world.

A sun sets behind a cloud over a grey body of water

Arctic permafrost is starting to thaw. Here’s why we should all care.

The Big Melt

Just how quickly will billions of tons of carbon locked up in the Arctic’s melting permafrost be released into the atmosphere? Scientists in the Arctic say finding out could be a matter of survival.