Future of the Environment

4 crazy things that are happening in the Arctic right now

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, in the midst of their ICESCAPE mission, retrieves supplies for some mid-mission fixes dropped by parachute from a C-130 in the Arctic Ocean in this July 12, 2011 NASA handout photo obtained by Reuters June 11, 2011. Scientists punched through the sea ice to find waters richer in phytoplankton than any other region on earth. Phytoplankton, the base component of the marine food chain, were thought to grow in the Arctic Ocean only after sea ice had retreated for the summer. Scientists now think that the thinning Arctic ice is allowing sunlight to reach the waters under the sea ice, catalyzing the plant blooms where they had never been observed. REUTERS/Kathryn Hansen/NASA (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - TM3E86B0WCN01

Climate change is creating bizarre circumstances. Image: REUTERS/Kathryn Hansen/NASA

Johnny Wood
Writer, Forum Agenda
Share:
Our Impact
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Future of the Environment is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:

Future of the Environment

Maximum Arctic sea ice extent 2018-2019.
Maximum Arctic sea ice extent 2018-2019. Image: Statista
The Aggie Creek Fire is located 30 miles northwest of Fairbanks, AK started by a lightning strike on Jun. 22, 2015 has consumed an estimated 31,705 acres. USFS photo.
Image: USDA - Flickr
The snow-covered landscape is seen in an aerial photo near the town of Uummannaq in western Greenland March 17, 2010. Dutch artist Ap Verheggen plans to erect two giant sculptures on a piece of Greenland's sea ice and monitor them drifting away after the glacier breaks off. REUTERS/Svebor Kranjc (GREENLAND - Tags: ENVIRONMENT ENTERTAINMENT) - GM1E63I09X801
Image: REUTERS/Svebor Kranjc
Have you read?
Wind patterns are left in the ice pack that covers the Arctic Ocean north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENVIRONMENT) - GM1E73M16SU01
Image: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Related topics:
Future of the EnvironmentClimate ChangeArctic
Share:
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

More on Future of the Environment
See all

Sand mining is close to being an environmental crisis. Here's why – and what can be done about it

Kate Whiting and Madeleine North

September 21, 2023

1:36

This start-up has developed a paper alternative to single-use plastic

About Us

Events

Media

More from the Forum

Partners & Members

  • Join Us

Language Editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

© 2023 World Economic Forum