Policy

Gwich'in Tribal Council leaders plan a meeting in Inuvik to resolve governance fractures after last week's annual assembly failed to reach quorum amid delegate notification rules.

Sweden’s Arctic Strategy outlines five priority focus areas: peace, security and stability; economy and trade; climate and the environment; and sustainable…

EU Vice‑President Henna Virkkunen is in Nuuk to discuss Arctic security, connectivity and the partnership with Greenland, following a joint declaration signed in September 2026, and to review the EU’s increased financial support for the region.

Dr. Brooke Biddlecombe’s research in Churchill, Manitoba, deploys a new data‑collection app to track polar bears and tourism activity, aiming to inform a 100‑metre distance rule and support science‑backed policy decisions.

The EU cannot outpace NATO in the Arctic because it lacks a legal category for partners such as Norway, Iceland and the UK.

Greenland Mines applied on Sept. 21 to double its Sarfartoq rare‑earth mine to supply magnet metals for electric‑vehicle and defense uses, following a U.S. security agreement with Greenland and Denmark.

Since April, at least 19 people have died from brown bear attacks across Russia’s Far North, Siberia and Far East, prompting compulsory mandatory obligations and calls for mandatory precautions by authorities.

Arctic sea ice is rising again after hitting its yearly minimum, while shipping on Russia’s Northern Sea Route has surged to a record high of more than 50 vessels—including over 30 tankers—highlighting Russia’s intent to boost Arctic cargo throughput amid a new EU ban that will redirect LNG exports eastward.

A GAO report recommends legislative and administrative changes, including an Indian Health Service O&M pilot, to address gaps in tribal water services, noting that high energy costs and freeze‑ups in Alaska’s remote communities jeopardize reliable drinking water.

China’s DF‑27 ICBM and Russia’s bolstered Arctic submarine and icebreaker fleet expand their long‑range reach to Alaska, while U.S. forces add missile silos and deep‑water port capacity to counter the emerging threats.

Former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, in his book, stresses climate change as the primary threat to the Arctic, reflecting on his decade‑long diplomatic efforts amid rising security tensions, a cancelled summit, a black‑carbon campaign, and Finland’s transition into NATO.

Short‑tailed shearwaters migrate annually from southern Australia to the Bering/Chukchi Seas, historically bringing over half a million birds per day to Gambell in late August/September. Since the 2019 mass‑mortality event linked to warming waters and dwindling krill, daily counts have fallen to below 100 000 but tens of thousands still pass each day. The 2019 die‑off, the largest recorded, was primarily due to starvation amid reduced sea ice and altered food‑web dynamics.

A two‑day Arctic security workshop in Whitehorse on September 22‑23 brought about 30 participants from military, governments, First Nations, industry and think tanks to discuss how foreign governments spread misinformation and use economic, legal and media channels to test northern communities. The event, organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada with support from Canada’s Department of National Defence, also highlighted China’s perceived threat to Canada’s northern critical minerals and reviewed the country’s defence strategy “Our North, Strong and Free” and the 2024 Countering

Russia’s aging nuclear icebreakers and sanctions‑driven delays threaten the reliability of the Northern Sea Route and its Arctic oil and LNG exports.

The DEW Line was a network of 63 radar stations linked along the 69th parallel from Alaska to Baffin Island, built after a 1954 US‑Canada agreement and formally handed over on 15 April 1957; it was designed to detect bomber aircraft and became obsolete against missiles, ultimately replaced by the North Warning System in 1993.

Greenland inaugurated Pilivik National Park, covering 22,249.8 km² between Kangerlussuaq and Disko Bay, and combining nature protection with traditional hunting and fishing.

Shawnette MacNeil is pushing the Northwest Territories government to provide supported‑living services for her son in Yellowknife instead of sending him to Edmonton, while an MLA supports her case to keep Indigenous families in the North.

Sierra Club volunteer Gary Keir highlighted the vulnerability of Alaska’s Brooks Range to oil development at a Patagonia store event in Manhattan, urging support for the group’s opposition to lease sales.