"We need to keep all political options open, including a withdrawal from the Arctic Council," says Russia's Arctic Ambassador, Nikolay Korchunov.
The Russian war on Ukraine has led to the exclusion of Russian data from Arctic research, significantly increasing uncertainty in climate predictions and impacting global environmental understanding and management efforts.
For nearly three decades, the Arctic Council has been a successful example of post-Cold War cooperation. However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a freezing of relations; what risks do the breakdown of Arctic collaboration pose to the region?
Parts of Northern Siberia were up to 7℃ warmer than normal in 2020. The warming is the most significant along parts of the North Siberian coast, and especially around the peninsulas of Taymyr and Yamal. This has been brought on, in part, by polar vortex on the Arctic coast.
Arctic climate science has been severely disrupted by the war in Ukraine, as US and European countries isolate Russia, leading to suspended funding, limited communication, and a fractured Arctic Council, hindering efforts to mitigate global warming and understand its dynamics.