ARCTIC: World Glacier Day & more – 25th Mar 2025

Góðan daginn from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Arctic Update from the 25th of March twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what’s going down North of the Arctic Circle!

A new day of celebration has come to the Arctic, with the UN announcing on Friday last week that the 21st of March will be remembered as the World Day for Glaciers. The declaration came alongside a report on the declining state of glaciers worldwide, and the sobering revelation that many of the world’s glaciers will not survive this century.

With the Arctic warming at an accelerating rate, glaciers across Alaska, Norway, Canada and Greenland have all registered record levels of ice loss in recent years. The declaration of this World Day for Glaciers is intended to bring the human cost of glacier melt to public attention, with safe sea levels, fresh water and flood prevention all at risk of fading away if we don’t slow the rate of ice melt across the world.

The Arctic is undergoing massive human changes alongside environmental ones. Mark Carney, Canada’s new Prime Minister, has launched his tenure with major Arctic investment plans, particularly in national security. On Tuesday the 18th, Carney made his first domestic policy visit to Iqaluit, Nunavut’s capital, where he announced over $4 billion US dollars for an Arctic radar system to detect foreign aircraft and missiles.

Additionally, he pledged $300 million dollars to establish a year-round Arctic military force and $170 million dollars in public investment to improve Nunavut’s infrastructure and living conditions.

Carney’s government aims to strengthen Canada’s northern defenses while addressing the challenges faced by Arctic communities.

Still, his administration might not have much time to make an impact on the Arctic since on Sunday the 23rd he called a snap federal election for the 28th of April. In his announcement speech, he called Donald Trump the most significant threat to Canada of our lifetime and said that Canadian people need to vote for politicians that reject Trump, to secure Canada against the threat of their former ally to the south.

Going back to big changes, on Thursday the 20th, the US Department of the Interior announced plans to accelerate oil and gas developments in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and National Petroleum Reserve, both on Alaska’s north coast. In January, the state held an auction for companies to purchase oil and gas leases in the regions, but no bids were received.

The Interior Department’s press release states that the department will work to reverse all environmental protections implemented by previous governments. With the last two Alaska drilling auctions receiving no bids from major oil companies, Arctic drilling is clearly not something being considered worthwhile. It remains to be seen how the Trump administration plans to attract new oil and gas developments.

Countering President Trump’s efforts to open up Alaska for drilling, on Thursday the 20th the nonprofit group Taxpayer for Common Sense released a report weighing the economic benefits of opening up Alaska’s protected areas for oil drilling. While President Trump has promised oil sales will generate one billion dollars for Alaska, the report estimates that the sale of oil leases would generate only between $3 million and $30 million dollars, with the $30 million only reachable if 100 percent of the protected areas of northern Alaska are exploited to their fullest extent.

The cost of drilling in the Arctic is simply too expensive and hazardous, and the lofty promises of economic windfalls provided by Trump may be nothing but a dream.

To read the fascinating report yourself, take a look at the link in the show notes.

President Trump has been taking the spotlight over many Arctic issues, but his recent declarations about taking control of Greenland might be having a positive consequence. On Friday the 21st, Reuters published a story regarding tourism companies in Greenland, reporting that the tourism industry has had an unexpected boost since Trump made his comments about the country.

Reuters also noted that three-quarters of tour operators in Greenland have all reported a boost in bookings since Trump’s inauguration in January. Hopefully, any future US impacts on their country will be just as beneficial.

Still, Donald Trump’s ongoing saga with Greenland continues. On Monday the 24th, the White House announced that a US delegation consisting of Usha Vance, the wife of the Vice President, and Mike Waltz, the US National Security Advisor, will visit Greenland next week to tour an American military base in Sisimiut and attend a dog race.

The response throughout Greenland has been negative. On the same day, Mute Egede, the Prime Minister, called the visit a dangerous provocation against Greenland’s sovereignty, believing Trump is sending his allies to the country to sow discord and slowly gain influence with Greenlandic people.

Locals are also pushing back. On Monday the 24th, a citizen group told the newspaper Sermitsiaq they plan to protest outside the military base during the visit, to make it clear that US political influence is not welcome in Greenland.

Next up, life in the Arctic can be very good, depending on where you live. On Thursday the 20th, the World Happiness Report released its newest ranking. The news for the Arctic is mixed, with the top four nations listed as Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden, the same top four as last year. This made Finland the world’s happiest nation for the eighth year in a row. Norway took seventh place, down one place.

Outside of the Nordic regions the outlook is much less happy. Canada dropped from number fifteen to eighteen. The US dropped one place, ending up twenty-four.

Russia actually saw a slight rise in rankings from seventy-two to sixty-six, though

Russia has a long way to go before its citizens are as happy as their Arctic neighbors.

However, not everyone in Finland is happy. On Tuesday the 18th, the Sámi Parliament in Finland urged the government to activate the Reindeer Damage Act, which provides emergency support to Sami reindeer herders facing severe environmental conditions. The parliament criticized Finland for failing to act while Norway and Sweden have already provided aid.

The Finnish Ministry of Agriculture says that there is no measurable damage, but Sami herders across Scandinavia report frozen pastures preventing reindeer from grazing, leading to starvation.

The Sámi Parliament argues the law needs reform, as compensation takes months to process. Without urgent assistance, both reindeer and their herders are struggling to survive a particularly harsh winter.

There’s disagreement in Norway too. On Thursday the 20th, Norway’s Conservative Party debated opening Lofoten, Vesterålen, and Senja to oil drilling during its national convention, as reported by broadcaster NRK. Though the party lacks national power, Nordland County is Conservative-run. While southern Conservatives support drilling, eight of ten local leaders strongly oppose it, saying tourism and unspoiled nature are more valuable than oil.

At the same convention, a debate emerged over Svalbard’s last coal mine, set to close this summer. According to a story by newspaper Dagsavisen on Friday the 21st, Labor and Conservatives back the shutdown, but Geir Pollestad, the Center Party deputy leader, argued to keep it open, saying Norway must maintain a strong presence in Svalbard to deter foreign influence, even at an environmental cost.

Over in Iceland, a government decision has left many Grindavík residents feeling abandoned. On Tuesday the 18th, the Icelandic government announced that large-scale reconstruction in Grindavík, the town devastated by over a year of volcanic activity, can’t be carried out right now. Officials cited safety concerns and the uncertain seismic future of the region as reasons for delaying major rebuilding efforts.

However, locals were frustrated and disappointed. According to a story by broadcaster RÚV on Saturday the 22nd, residents feel that the government is giving up on their town. They argue that instead of supporting those who want to return, authorities are hoping residents will choose to relocate. Residents say this decision threatens not just their homes but the survival of their entire community.

Finishing off with some good news out of Sweden. The newspaper SVT reported on Saturday the 22nd that the Arctic fox population in Sweden's northern Stekenjokk region is showing promising growth. Conservation efforts have helped the endangered species recover from just forty foxes in twenty twenty-three, to approximately seventy today.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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