Arctic.2018 | Link

Why does Arctic 2018 matter now? Because it was the pivot point. Looking back from 2026, we can see that 2018 was the year the old normal died. It was the last year we could say, "Well, the ice will come back next winter."

If you remember one statistic from 2018, make it this: (second only to 2016). arctic.2018

In late summer, a research expedition to the Canadian High Arctic (Axel Heiberg Island) published a shocking finding: permafrost that had been frozen for over 5,000 years was thawing at depths of nearly 15 meters—far deeper than models predicted. The "active layer" (the topsoil that thaws and refreezes seasonally) had extended into zones that were supposed to stay frozen for another century. Why does Arctic 2018 matter now

Similarly, the Sámi reindeer herders of northern Sweden saw their grazing lands fragment as the permafrost thaw turned solid tundra into impassable bogs. For the first time, a Sámi collective sued the Swedish government in the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that the thaw violated their right to cultural life. It was the last year we could say,