Environment

Kenneth Høegh, Greenland’s first Arctic Ambassador and chair of the Arctic Council (2025‑27), has steered the forum through Russia’s suspension and US interest in Greenland by resuming virtual working groups, launching strategic planning consultations, and promoting youth and sustainability workshops to keep the council relevant.

Sweden releases its Arctic Strategy, outlining five focus areas—peace, security and stability; economy and trade; climate and the environment; sustainable thriving—to guide national policy toward a peaceful, secure, and sustainable Arctic.

Fourteen U.S. states are jointly challenging the Trump administration’s decision to open the Arctic Coastal Plain for oil and gas leasing, citing potential harm to wildlife and climate‑change mitigation efforts.

Researchers aboard a drifting laboratory will study biology in the Arctic Ocean while braving darkness and cold.

Indigenous guardians in Canada’s Northwest Territories are conducting field studies to evaluate how the planned Arctic road expansion may affect Arctic caribou populations.

Caribou in the Canadian Arctic lead the planet’s longest terrestrial migrations.

Increased Arctic shipping is reshaping cloud patterns over the polar region, accelerating melt of sea ice, according to a new study.

Washington state has joined a federal lawsuit challenging an oil and gas program in Alaska’s 1.6‑million‑acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, arguing the drilling could harm migratory birds traveling through Washington.

Two wildfires ignited across Greenland’s Arctic tundra within a week, with peat soil combustion releasing large amounts of carbon and accelerating regional warming that can trigger additional fires.

The storm has sparked five wildfires about 100 km east of Inuvik that are not threatening nearby communities, while a human‑caused fire near Cassidy Point north of Yellowknife is now under control. Expect hot and dry conditions across most of the territory this week with lightning potentially fueling new fires.

The Trump administration tried to lease 1.5 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, but years of public pressure halted the move.

Operation BOXTOP keeps Canada’s northernmost military station active, bolstering continental defense and supporting ongoing Arctic research.

Scientists warn that the ~63 billion‑ton carbon stock in Arctic deltas may be released if permafrost thaws, potentially speeding up warming faster than models predict.

National Science Foundation has halted plans to dismantle its $368 million Ocean Observatories Initiative, a network of over 900 deep‑sea instruments monitoring ocean health off U.S. and Arctic coasts. The decision follows bipartisan Senate legislation urging full stakeholder review.

A Russian missile launched from an island above the Arctic Circle on Oct. 21 last year headed northeast, illustrating continued missile activity in the high‑north.

Russia’s LNG shipments to Europe rose 8.6% in early 2026 despite EU sanctions, while shadow‑fleet tankers using fake insurance and GPS jamming raise safety concerns along the Northern Sea Route.

Researchers report that climate‑driven sea‑ice loss is shrinking polar bear populations, making them smaller and reducing genetic diversity, while their evolutionary adaptation stalls. The study urges maintaining ecosystem connectivity—through marine protected areas and strategic shipping routes—to preserve gene flow and resilience.

University College of the North will lead a new international network aimed at improving solid waste management across Arctic communities.

Up to 30 gray whales have stranded on the Washington coast after additional individuals were found, as researchers link climate‑driven Arctic ecosystem changes to reduced prey availability during migration.

Three proposed lease sales for oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were rejected, leaving the industry without a permit and Congress still tasked with repealing the refuge’s protection mandate.

The STRAWCO project, led by the Arctic Centre, has secured new funding to expand cooperation on best practices for managing waste across Arctic regions.