The Circle magazine | Navigating a changing Arctic

The latest?issue of The Circle explores what sustainable shipping entails and how more companies can embrace higher environmental standards. For example, how does shipping interfere with the traditional fishing and hunting activities of coastal and Indigenous communities, and what can be done about it? How can cruise tourism in the Arctic be more sustainable? What are polar fuels, and how steeply might we cut emissions and reduce black carbon if ships began using them?

We also look at why exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers), once seen as a useful way to reduce emissions from burning heavy fuel oil, should be banned to avoid a water pollution crisis, and how the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) proposed measures to reduce the carbon intensity of vessels can benefit marine wildlife.

Discover the full issue

From The Circle | Arctic shipping must change

WWF GLOBAL ARCTIC PROGRAMME

For hundreds of years, shipping has connected people, places and goods. Today, it is the backbone of international trade and a lifeline for many remote coastal and Indigenous communities.But shipping in the Arctic is like nowhere else. Not only do harsh conditions make for challenging navigation, but the region’s unique geography makes it more vulnerable to shipping-related impacts. In this issue's editorial, WWF Global Arctic Programme's Elena Tracy explains why shipping in the Arctic must change.?

From The Circle | Ensuring cruise tourism doesn’t hurt the Arctic

WWF GLOBAL ARCTIC PROGRAMME

The number of ships operating in the Arctic increased by 37 per cent between 2013 and 2023. Although most are fishing vessels and cargo ships, there’s also been a surge in Arctic cruise tourism in recent years.

The Circle spoke to Melissa Nacke, head of operations with the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO), about how her organization works with expedition cruise operators to protect the Arctic’s natural environment and local communities—and ensure that tourism benefits the region rather than harming it.

From The Circle | Mapping out a more sustainable future for shipping

WWF GLOBAL ARCTIC PROGRAMME

Shipping generates nearly three per cent of global CO2 emissions. While there are some reasonably straightforward ways to cut these, the sector’s interdependencies with other hard-to-abate industries, such as mining or steel production, complicate matters.

As Ram Ganesh Kamatham, researcher and head of programmes at the Sustainable Shipping Initiative, explains, addressing these issues requires a system-wide approach to sustainability.

From The Circle | Diminishing the impacts of shipping traffic in Canada’s Arctic

WWF GLOBAL ARCTIC PROGRAMME

Since 1990, shipping traffic in the Canadian Arctic has almost tripled. The Arctic Corridors Research Project started in 2015 as a way to reduce the effects that shipping is having on traditional hunting and fishing activities.

Natasha Simonee is a resident of Pond Inlet, Nunavut and was one of the community researchers during the first stage of the project. The Circle spoke to her about why she got involved and the changes she hopes to see.

From The Circle | Will the IMO tighten it's rules around carbon emissions?

WWF GLOBAL ARCTIC PROGRAMME

International shipping makes an outsized and growing contribution to the climate crisis. Ships also regularly kill whales and generate underwater noise that impacts whales' ability to survive. By going slower, ships could slash their climate emissions and reduce both underwater noise and the risk of whale strikes—but as John Maggs from the Sustainable Shipping Coalition explains, this shift won’t happen without ambitious regulation.

Arctic fox population update from Fennoscandia

WWF-FINLAND (IN FINNISH)

WWF-Finland, together with Norwegian and Swedish partners, reported that 139 the Arctic fox litters were born in Fennoscandia during 2024. This finding is in line with small mammal population cycles. The Arctic fox population in Fennoscandia has grown significantly during the last two decades. Approximately 20 years ago there were only 40-60 individuals. In 2024, there were an estimated 582 adult individuals.

That's all for this edition of The Arc – thanks for reading! If you would like to receive this email right to your inbox, subscribe here.