Samia Madwar

Barneo, a Russian-operated research camp on Arctic ice, hosts hundreds of North Pole-bound visitors every spring. But its future, thanks to challenging ice conditions and rising Norway-Russia tensions, may be in jeopardy.

Many young Inuit don’t grow up learning their language or culture in school. That gap in education is at the heart of their struggles, says Canada’s Inuk leader. Here’s how he plans to change that.

One way to save the endangered Inuit languages is to create a standard writing system and introduce it in schools. But organizations pushing for the shift are facing resistance from those wary of change.

Political tensions are rising between the two Arctic nations following E.U. sanctions. That presents even greater challenges to reporters covering the vast border region. Can a small startup news site stand a chance? Thomas Nilsen, one of the editors of the Independent Barents Observer, says it can.

Researchers are discovering a growing amount of plastic litter in the polar landscape and in the stomachs of marine birds. The trend is predicted to worsen as Arctic sea ice shrinks and shipping traffic increases, but slowing it will require a global effort.

Canada’s youngest Arctic territory has the highest suicide rate in the country – and also one of the highest in the world. Last fall, its premier declared youth suicide a crisis, promising sweeping changes. But the territory has lagged on its promises before. This time, will it follow through?