Policy

Inuit Circumpolar Council has urged governments to establish a barrier‑free travel zone for Inuit across the Arctic, citing examples from the Jay Treaty and recent border hurdles that hinder inter‑regional movement.

Greenland has issued a strong warning to a Trump‑linked U.S. oil company that is pursuing drilling operations in its Arctic waters, citing concerns over environmental impacts as melting ice opens new shipping lanes and trade routes.

Australia and Canada have finalized an agreement to deploy over‑the‑horizon radar systems in the Arctic, adding advanced surveillance capabilities to the region’s security architecture.

$1.5 million from Elon Musk went to Aurora Action Network to back Alaska’s Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal ranked‑choice voting, open primaries, and 2020 campaign‑finance laws, returning the state to closed partisan primaries and removing donor transparency.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has launched a new funding program aimed at supporting UK-based researchers conducting science in the Arctic for 2026–27.

Nunavut tops Canadian internal‑trade barriers, scoring 6.1/10 on CFIB’s report card. Hunting, fishing and tourism are exempt from the Canada Free Trade Agreement so only local firms may operate in those sectors, while the territory does not recognize many out‑of‑province occupational safety certifications or product standards.

Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir discusses how the upcoming EU accession referendum—held in three weeks—could reshape Iceland’s strategic role in the GIUK gap and influence NATO security dynamics as great powers intensify focus on Greenland.

The European Policy Centre brief calls on the EU to denounce U.S. claims of buying or invading Greenland and instead back the island with investment, citing a €50 million molybdenum project and proposing a long‑term joint fund to support local governance and reduce China dependence.

A bipartisan Senate bill led by Sen. Lisa Murkowski would direct NOAA to pilot environmental DNA sampling for fishery stock assessments, a cost‑effective tool that could improve monitoring of high‑north salmon migrations in Alaska.

Danish pension fund Industriens Pension became Amaroq Minerals’ largest shareholder after the company moved its shares to the London Stock Exchange’s main market, highlighting growing foreign institutional investment in Greenland’s sole gold mine amid heightened political scrutiny.

The GNWT is collecting business input through an online survey to gauge readiness for $35 billion in federal Arctic defense spending, the Mackenzie Valley Highway project, and a 60‑MW hydro expansion that could boost regional infrastructure and trade.

Canada is exploring nuclear power as a solution to the Arctic's energy deficit, aiming to reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions in remote northern communities.

Canada’s federal government will remediate asbestos and lead pollution at the abandoned Isachsen weather station in the Arctic, addressing long‑standing environmental hazards from its historic operations.

Iceland is poised to vote on potentially aligning more closely with Europe as concerns grow over Donald Trump's Arctic policies.

ANILCA added 57 million acres—most of which became wilderness—to the National Wilderness Preservation System, tripling its size and bringing Alaska’s Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley National Parks under federal protection.

Greenlandic women filed 171 claims in the first month after Denmark opened a compensation scheme for a decades-long forced contraception program, with 300,000 DKK awarded per claim.

After nearly twenty years of living with her daughter in a cramped, mold‑infested home, Karen Nanook remains high on Taloyoak’s public housing list as construction projects stall and new digital tools are still pending.

China now supplies ships with 72‑hour sea‑ice forecasts covering the East Siberian, Laptev, Kara and Barents seas plus Bering Strait and nearby waterways. The data—showing ice thickness, area and drift speed at 10 km resolution—is updated daily to aid navigation safety.

$2 billion earmarked for Arctic military technology, including the ESCP‑P program and expanded Telesat capabilities, signals Ottawa’s effort to strengthen Canadian Armed Forces’ presence in the high north.

President Donald Trump plans to spend about $7 billion for eleven new polar icebreakers—vessels capable of breaking through thick ice—that were not requested by the U.S. Coast Guard. The move could increase U.S. operational presence and search‑and‑rescue capacity in the Arctic.

Ottawa awarded a $2.7 B satellite contract to Telesat and MDA Space aimed at strengthening Arctic sovereignty, prompting their stock prices to climb.

Canada has awarded Telesat a $2.3 billion contract to build 69 low‑Earth orbit satellites that will provide secure military communications across the Arctic and other high‑latitude areas, with service expected by early 2028.

The federal government will spend $2 billion on military satellite communication systems for Canada’s far north, boosting defence technology coverage across the region.