"Fewer Polar Bears, More Force"
Brussels is trading its green Arctic agenda for hard security. Icebreakers, surveillance, and a softer line on oil and gas are on the table.
The Arctic Century
An independent non-profit organization devoted to studying the Arctic
The Arctic Century
The Arctic Century is an independent non-profit organization established by
joint efforts of the international experts. We cover the most recent
developments in science, business, and technologies, as well as key
political and economic trends across the Arctic in the form of news,
features, opinions, and articles.
The Arctic Is No Longer Europe's Periphery
The EU's new Arctic strategy calls the region a front line, yet Brussels commands no armies. Its answer: icebreakers, cables, and a Northern Neighbourhood.
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Heavy Fire on Russia in the Baltic
Thirty-one HIMARS launchers face Russia's northwest, and an Estonian minister vows to kill them all. The stronger the Baltics grow, the likelier nuclear fire.
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13 minutes
Rushing or Dragging?
How does the Russian Arctic develop its AI? At the Northern Sustainable Development Forum in Yakutsk, the pace seemed a bit off—or rather, syncopated.
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4 minutes
“AI development in the Russian Arctic is a bit of both—syncopated, with the accents falling where one would not expect them: on paperwork and wildfires rather than on medicine and education.”
In Wealthy Norway, Soldiers Take Turns Sleeping in the Same Bunks
At Norway's Rygge Air Station, guard soldiers have shared beds in shifts since February, and the promised temporary barracks still have no start date.
Chilingarov Forum to Discuss Which Arctic Technologies Are Ready for Industrial Scale
Driverless trucks already work Yamal's oil fields. In December, St. Petersburg asks what it takes to turn Arctic pilot projects into industrial practice.
China Tests Satellite Internet in the Arctic
China has tested satellite internet on Arctic sea routes, reaching what state TV calls Earth's last blind spot and linking it to Antarctica and Tibet.
Norway Urged to Establish a Healthcare System for the Sámi
Sámi patients in Norway travel far for hospital care they often cannot follow. An expert committee wants a Sámi health service outside the current system.
Trump's Oil Announcement Sparks Anger in Greenland
Trump's oil push has reached Ittoqqortoormiit, where hunters fear that drilling and US troops will drive off musk oxen, narwhals, and polar bears.
“One hardly needs a massive club to swat three flies sitting on a nearby post; a rubber flyswatter suffices.”
A Flipped Map, Wildfire Math, and Regional Ties
Settle the North, put out fires on day one, work region to region: lessons and notes from the Northern Sustainable Development Forum in Yakutsk.
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10 minutes
Iceland's Economic Model No Longer Works
The North Observer, who takes a keen interest in the economic development of the North, draws attention to a remarkable Icelandic economist's article.
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Greenland Rejects Trump's Claim of Massive Oil Exploration
Trump says the US is ready to launch major exploration for oil, gas, and minerals in Greenland. Greenlandic authorities say that is far from the truth.
A Glacier's Shape Speeds Up Its Own Melting, Russian Scientists Find
Russian researchers have found that thinning Svalbard glaciers lose extra ice as their surfaces sink into warmer air, a factor that climate estimates can miss.