Cryopolitics

What happened at Encounter last week in Anchorage, Alaska? Find out more in my latest blog post, where I discuss how a Trump appointee, Greenlandic official, Indigenous representatives, defense contractors, and geoengineering advocates all had their say, offering conflicting visions of the region's future.

https://www.cryopolitics.com/2026/04/23/civil-dialogue-at-arctic-encounter-hides-deepening-rifts/

Civil dialogue at Arctic Encounter hides deepening rifts - CRYOPOLITICS In Anchorage, a Trump appointee, Greenlandic official, Indigenous representatives, defense contractors, and geoengineering advocates all had their say.

New blog post: Last summer, I ran 45 kilometers to and from Ilulissat, Greenland, which is expanding its airport to accommodate jet planes. But as I quickly discovered, the iceberg city’s construction of a new 2200-meter runway, terminal, and air traffic control tower is choking the tundra in dust.

Read more: https://www.cryopolitics.com/2026/01/18/turning-tundra-to-tarmac-ilulissat-pursues-arctic-airport-ambitions/

Turning tundra to tarmac, Ilulissat pursues Arctic airport ambitions - CRYOPOLITICS When I ran 45 kilometers to and from Ilulissat to Oqaatsut, the tundra crunched underfoot. That's because the iceberg city's runway expansion is covering the tundra in dust.

Blog: While Trump raises fears of Russian and Chinese ships swarming , the island's residents fear the much more real possibility of American ships swarming the world's largest island.

https://www.cryopolitics.com/2026/01/08/after-venezuela-will-greenland-be-next-to-fall/

After Venezuela, will Greenland be next to fall in the Western Hemisphere? - CRYOPOLITICS While Trump raises fears of Russian and Chinese ships swarming Greenland, the island's residents fear the much realer possibility of American ships.

I'd always wanted to see a polar bear serendipitously. Finally, while snowmobiling across Svalbard, I came upon one where I least expected it. Check out my newest blog post, which also offers a little vignette into the history of polar bears in shop windows at Christmas. Happy Holidays!

https://www.cryopolitics.com/2025/12/28/following-in-the-paw-prints-of-the-polar-bear/

Following in the paw prints of the polar bear - CRYOPOLITICS I'd always wanted to see a polar bear serendipitously. Finally, while snowmobiling across Svalbard, I came upon one where I least expected it.

The is perceived as a future military theatre. But while war rages to the south, it has become a safe haven for refugees from and beyond.

New blog post drawing on fieldwork in Vardø this past May with Ria-Maria Adams of /University of Vienna, supported by the The Fulbright Program's Arctic Initiative.

https://www.cryopolitics.com/2025/12/19/for-ukrainians-in-vardo-the-arctic-is-a-refuge-not-a-battleground/ 🧪

For Ukrainians in Vardø, the Arctic is a refuge, not a battleground - CRYOPOLITICS The Arctic is often perceived as a future battleground. But it has actually become a safe haven for refugees from Ukraine and beyond.

For many remote Arctic communities, is the obvious choice for satellite internet. But , wary of the US, is turning to European alternatives. Meanwhile, China and Russia’s military-industrial complexes are linking arms, with the owner of a Chinese drone parts company buying a 5% stake in one of Russia's largest drone manufacturers.

Read more in my latest blog post:

As Greenland rejects Starlink, China and Russia tighten military ties - CRYOPOLITICS For remote Arctic communities, Starlink is the obvious choice for internet. But Greenland, wary of the US, is turning to European alternatives.

People often eagerly discuss the end of the Arctic. Yet realizing that the Arctic Circle Assembly may have peaked could hit a bit too close to home.

Read my latest blog post for a recap of the Arctic Circle 2025 Assembly:

https://www.cryopolitics.com/2025/10/21/have-we-reached-peak-arctic-circle/

Have we reached peak Arctic Circle? - CRYOPOLITICS People often eagerly discuss the end of the Arctic. Yet realizing that the Arctic Circle Assembly may have peaked could hit a bit too close to home.

From my latest blog post: Yesterday at the crack of dawn, I took the train (or rather, three trains) from London to Harwich to see the Chinese container ship hashtag after its arrival the night before from Ningbo, China following a 20-day journey via the Northern Sea Route.

While I was excited, no one in town seemed to pay the vessel much attention.

In the Arctic, history is written by the ships. That is why Istanbul Bridge is making international headlines. Yet locally, the vessel failed to turn heads. Chinese newspapers herald the development of the Polar Silk Road, but at its terminuses lie communities that do not even realize they are being connected. Here in Harwich, whose high street has seen better days, time seems to have stopped. Geography is changing, though – only at scales invisible to all but the shipspotters.

Read on at Cryopolitics:

First container ship to sail the China-Europe Arctic Express Route arrives in England - CRYOPOLITICS Chinese container ship Istanbul Bridge arrived in England from China after a 20-day journey via the Northern Sea Route. But locally, no one noticed.

My new book with Klaus Dodds, 'Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic' is out now in the UK and will be published in the US on October 21.

We've been delighted to receive some positive reviews from historian Michael Burleigh in The Literary Review and by writer and critic Caroline Eden in Engelsberg Ideas.

For folks in London, Klaus and I will be in conversation at Waterstones on Gower Street on Tuesday, October 14 at 6:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased online.

Links to the book and Waterstones event tickets in my latest blog post: https://www.cryopolitics.com/2025/10/08/new-book-unfrozen-the-fight-for-the-future-of-the-arctic/

Unfrozen A vital account of the state of the Arctic today—emphasising the twin dangers of climate change and geopolitical competition Nowhere is the dual threat ...

Check out my blog for a recap of the Security Conference 2025, which convened in for the second time last week.

Takeaway: The work of Arctic conferences, as niche as they are, should be to reject rather than reproduce megalomaniacal discourses.

Arctic Security Conference: "We are already at war in the Arctic" - CRYOPOLITICS The work of Arctic conferences, as niche as they are, should be to reject rather than reproduce megalomaniacal discourses.

Blog: A second day riding across , where outnumber people.

https://www.cryopolitics.com/2025/09/18/a-second-day-riding-across-svalbard-where-snowmobiles-outnumber-people/

Svalbard Basecamp Adventures

A second day riding across Svalbard, where snowmobiles outnumber people - CRYOPOLITICS Day two of a snowmobiling expedition across Svalbard – this time, ending with a sauna and dip in the Arctic Ocean.