WWF Arctic's latest posts

In 2014 the captain and owners of the freighter Nordic Orion made an historic decision: instead of carrying their load of coal from Vancouver, Canada to Finland via the Panama Canal, they headed through Arctic waters for the Northwest Passage. It was the first time a freighter chose the Canadian Arctic route over the Panama route, based entirely on business logic. ALAN ATKISSON says that voyage marks the start of a transformation in the Arctic economy.

The World Bank defines the Blue Economy as “the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health”. OKALIK EEGEESIAK suggests for Inuit, the term Ice Blue Economy would be more appropriate.

Long-term investors (LTIs) bring a unique set of resources that make them ideal partners for sustainable development. JAMES E. PASS addresses the benefits of LTIs in the Arctic.

The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth and rapidly becoming a wetter, more variable environment. Over the past 50 years, the Arctic’s temperature has risen at a rate more than twice the global average. JANET PAWLAK says these changes affect the Arctic’s role as a regulator of global temperature and its influence on Northern Hemisphere weather; its contribution to sea-level rise; the lifestyles and livelihoods of those who live and work in the Arctic; Arctic marine and terrestrial ecosystems and the habitats of Arctic species.

It has been a busy season for the WWF polar bear patrol in Ittoqqortoormiit. At least 21 polar bear encounters were recorded this year in this village of 450 people on the east coast of Greenland. Throughout the Arctic, the number of conflicts between polar bears and humans has risen as climate change has caused […]

The Barents Region is a model for sustainable economic development in the North.

The Barents is the perfect laboratory for innovation and sustainability.

The ecosystems of the Barents Region are diverse and include large areas of boreal forests or taiga, as well as vast areas of wetlands and tundra.

Sápmi, the traditional lands of the Saami people, lies in the northernmost regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.

Winters are warmer in Finland due to climate change, which makes nesting more difficult for the extremely endangered Saimaa ringed seal. That’s why we grabbed our shovels and headed out to Lake Saimaa to help.