Author: Over the Circle

[Photo by Mr Karl via Unsplash] by Marc Lanteigne During the next parliamentary elections in Norway, to be held in September this year, it is inevitable that the economy will be a major issue. Overall, the country's economic picture has shown signs of improvement during the first half of 2021, a trend which may continue… Continue reading Norway’s Energy Policies: Caught Between ‘Black Gold’ and Green Ambitions? →

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories [Photo by Marc Lanteigne] by Mingming Shi 1) As RÚV has reported, this summer Iceland is preparing to launch its largest array of roadworks projects since the country's banking crisis of 2008. According to Vegagerðin, (the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration), planned changes include road restructuring measures to improve driver safety, as… Continue reading Arctic News Roundup: 7-13 June →

Bankastræti, a main road in downtown Reykjavík [Photo by Marc Lanteigne] by Mingming Shi 1) Alda Sigmundsdóttir, an author of many well-read publications on Iceland, wrote a commentary in the Canadian news service Globe and Mail about how her home country has been shaped economically and societally by tourism in the last decade. In addition… Continue reading Arctic News Roundup: 31 May – 6 June →

Fjords in Troms og Finnmark, Norway [Photo by Marc Lanteigne] by Mingming Shi 1) According to Scientific American, Greenland's thawing glaciers are suspected to be one of the sources of mercury pollution in the nearby fjords. This element can cause damage to marine systems and human health. However, at present, as the researchers have explained,… Continue reading Arctic News Roundup: 24-30 May →

Press Conference of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarsson [Photo: Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs/Sigurjón Ragnar] by Marc Lanteigne After the tumultuous Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Rovaniemi two years ago, which concluded with no unanimous formal declaration, and with a significant wedge driven between the United States and the other seven… Continue reading The Arctic Council Goes Back to Basics →