As forest fires wipe out Canada’s boreal forest, a study highlights the role these fires could play in slowing global warming.At present, over 200 fires are active in central and western Canada. One hundred of these are considered to be out of control. As people continue to be evacuated and Indigeno
Military activities in the Arctic are intensifying without any real consultation with the Sámi. Despite their rights to these lands, their governance is poorly integrated, threatening a subsistence-based culture such as reindeer herding. Finnish social scientist Laura Junka-Aikio provides some insig
This week's Polar Retrospective takes a look at ancient arctic birds that lived with dinosaurs, AI that helps protect migrating caribou across fragile sea ice, and wildfires in Canada. The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at
Three organizations have taken an important step toward a more species-appropriate life for whales and dolphins in captivity: They are developing the world’s first ocean sanctuaries as alternatives to keeping them in concrete tanks.Orcas are found in oceans around the world, travel hundreds of kilom
As food insecurity greatly affects Inuit communities, community workshops bringing together Elders, hunters, and scientists were held to discuss how to use DNA for Arctic wildlife and food security.Indigenous Elders, community members, hunters and trappers, regional tourism representatives and scien
Despite its unprecedented nature, Greenland Minister Vivian Motzfeldt’s visit to France in May 2025 went almost unnoticed. French polar policy expert Arthur Amelot explains this discreet diplomatic gesture. Yet it is rich in symbolism, and could mark the beginning of a strategic rapprochement betwee
Last Thursday in Bodø, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Norwegian Prime Minister Gahr Støre made official the creation of an air base north of the Arctic Circle. A strategic turning point in the face of Russia, which rekindles tensions over the militarization of the Arctic and the question of r
This week's Polar Retrospective takes a look at the setting course for Iceland and Scoresby Sound by the crew of Moscatel, new research warning of vanishing summer habitat for bowhead whales and Inuit-led cruises in Nunavut. The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s pol
Even if humanity succeeds in slowing global temperature rise after temporarily exceeding the Paris climate target and bringing it back below 1.5°C in the long term, the world’s glaciers will continue to shrink for centuries, or even millenia.The Fjortende Julibreen (14th of July Glacier) on Svalbard
In a study published yesterday, scientists warn that the global warming target of +1.5°C is insufficient to protect the vast ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica from melting. They call for a new cooler target quickly. A new landmark review delivers a stark message: the global warming target of +1
A European report describes the conditions of detention in Nuuk prison and denounces a number of shortcomings, while also describing its positive aspects.Nuuk prison. Image: Kriminalforsorgen “The atmosphere seemed fairly relaxed,” describes a May 12 report by the European Committee for the Preventi
The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at the annual meeting of the French National Committee for Arctic and Antarctic Research, Russia’s push to build a fleet of 130 Arctic vessels to expand trade with China along the Northern
A study conducted by Arctida surveys Russian public opinion on the Kremlin’s plans for the Arctic. Environment, defense, and mining… here are some of the responses in figures. On April 2, the NGO Arctida published the results of a telephone survey it had conducted in Russia. The pollsters were able
In contrast to the warming of the Arctic, Denmark and Greenland have taken over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council during an icy phase and need to act as icebreakers. The Arctic, a realm of frozen seas and unique challenges, often demands powerful icebreakers to forge paths forward, yet in a del
Siri Veland (geographer), Skade Henriksen (artist), Anna Lindal (artist), and Marie Stougaard Østertorn (student and activist) explain the concept behind the Ilulissat Art and Science Hub. We open the doors to this anchor point, which marks the end of our series in this Greenlandic town. The sun dog
The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at Chile’s presidential commitment to the Antarctic, reports about US intelligence gathering in Greenland, and the emergence of new Arctic coastlines as glaciers retreat.As glaciers retrea
According to a new study, Arctic fjords could store carbon less effectively in the future as global warming progresses, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the climate.Several glaciers (still) flow directly into the Kongsfjorden on Svalbard, where the research settlement of Ny Ålesund is
At the start of her political career last April, this business consultant won the highest number of votes in the Avannaata regional elections. Her socio-liberal vision of empowering Greenlandic society is based on an in-depth treatment of social affairs, with a view to promoting entrepreneurship and
The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at the breeding tactics of Common eiders on Svalbard, a goodbye video to the directrice of the AWI. The Polar Retrospective is a collaborative effort by the editorial team of polarjournal.
In their recent update, Polar Bears International offers the latest information on the polar bears in the Hudson Bay area. Thanks to the organization’s ‘Polar Bear Tracker’, it is possible to follow some individuals equipped with a tracker and know more about their movements, but also about the rese
In conversation with prominent Arctic female figures, Sara Olsvig, Tahnee Prior, Sarah Cox, and Lydie Lescarmontier, Radio Arctic uncovers the critical intersections of gender, governance, and sustainability in the polar regions. While progress is being made, female leadership in the Arctic still fa
The new geopolitical reality is affecting security policy in the Arctic, and Denmark, Greenland, and Iceland are adapting by discussing new approaches. The long-held view of the Arctic as a region of low tension and scientific cooperation is rapidly eroding, primarily driven by a lot of uncertaintie
The summer of 2024 was the warmest on record in Svalbard – with temperatures no longer meeting the definition of a “polar climate”.Record summer temperatures have a particularly severe impact on glaciers and permafrost in the High Arctic, like here in the Recherchefjord on Svalbard. Photo: Julia Hag
The Polar Retrospective looks at recent stories from around the world’s polar regions. This week we take a look at an agreement signed between Tara and polarjournal.net, enhanced marine protection around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and a study explaining why the red knots are becom
