Policy

A new study led by Philip Holden finds a 10‑23% chance that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is already committed to collapse—an outcome that could sharply cool Northern Europe and alter rainfall and sea‑level patterns, prompting Iceland to flag it as a national security threat.

NATO announces joint procurement of up to 10 Saab GlobalEye aircraft to replace its aging E‑3 AWACS fleet, valuing the deal at roughly $4.5 billion and potentially starting deliveries in 2030.

UK and Netherlands will jointly build four 160‑meter amphibious transport ships worth £2.4 billion, with vessels constructed in British shipyards using Dutch designs. The partnership aims to boost NATO interoperability and strengthen deterrence in the North Atlantic and High North while supporting high‑skill UK jobs.

GNWT held community engagement sessions in four Beaufort Delta communities to collect feedback on the proposed Mackenzie Valley Highway corridor from Norman Wells to Inuvik.

Sweden unveiled a comprehensive Arctic Strategy that underscores the region’s expanding geopolitical weight.

NATO will negotiate a joint purchase of up to ten Saab GlobalEye aircraft, with Canada planning to acquire six. Built on a Bombardier 6500 jet made in Toronto, the platform enhances detection of missiles and drone swarms and supports Arctic surveillance—moves that may upset U.S. President Donald Trump.

Denmark approved buying two P‑8 aircraft to enhance Arctic surveillance, responding to growing Russian activities.

NOAA Fisheries is proposing changes to the fishery closure zones that protect the endangered western Steller sea lion in Alaska’s Bering Sea, a move tied to President Trump’s 2025 executive order intended to increase seafood harvests.

Rosemary Ahtuangaruak warns that the Department of Interior’s proposed rule would turn the Western Arctic into an unrestricted industrial zone, sidestepping assessment of impacts on caribou, subsistence and water.

The U.S. Coast Guard has announced awards of contracts to build 11 new Arctic Security Cutters, a move directed by former President Trump to bolster maritime security in the Arctic.

The Graceful yacht linked to Putin is heading toward Murmansk under Russian naval escort while NATO and European patrol vessels observe the transit through the Baltic Sea, underscoring heightened security scrutiny in Arctic shipping lanes.

Canada has awarded ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems a multi‑billion dollar order for twelve advanced diesel‑electric submarines, the nation’s largest defence purchase to date. The new vessels will be equipped with stealth technology and are expected to conduct long surveillance missions in key Arctic routes such as the Northwest Passage, enhancing Canada’s maritime security posture.

Hundreds of thousands of liters of diesel and radioactive waste remain buried at former U.S. military sites across Greenland, as Washington pushes to reopen Narsarsuaq and Kangerlussuaq.

The U.K. imposed sanctions on Russian laboratories and individuals involved in the chemical attacks on Alexei Navalny and Sergei Skripal, issuing the measures on the same day it condemned Russia’s unsafe conduct of Royal Navy vessels in the Arctic.

U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the NATO summit in Ankara as Washington seeks to revive stalled mediation on Russia’s war and push European allies to increase defense spending. The meeting also dovetails with a broader U.S. agenda to shift burden‑sharing, review troop deployments, and advance defense deals—including a proposal to acquire Greenland for Arctic security.

Canada’s prime minister is set to decide whether Germany’s TKMS or South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean will build the nation’s next twelve submarines, a choice that could cost more than $100 billion over three decades and bring an estimated $86–$94 billion in domestic investment, while also shaping NATO’s Arctic presence.

$7.4 million from federal, territorial and Inuit groups will fund two new food‑processing plants—$3.6 M in Taloyoak and $3.8 M in Gjoa Haven—to boost local food security and create jobs over the next three years.

Conference committee unveiled a revised Alaska LNG tax‑break bill that lowers property taxes, adjusts construction deadlines, and introduces new provisions on future buybacks—yet key corporate‑income‑tax questions remain unresolved.

Federal, Nunavut and Inuit bodies rejected the 2023 Nunavut Land Use Plan, citing it still needs additional work to satisfy the Nunavut Agreement and fully reflect Inuit rights, environmental stewardship and sustainable development goals.

A draft compromise tax bill for Alaska's proposed AKLNG gas line was unveiled on July 2, with debate still ongoing over a controversial corporate‑income‑tax provision that Governor Mike Dunleavy has called a “poison pill.” A floor vote is slated for July 16.