Politics, plastics and whaling: Arctic week in Review

A signpost and a polar bear warning sign at Svalbard's Longyearbyen airport in July 2015. A story looking at how microplastics have been found in waters near Svalbard were among your most read stories this week. (Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images)
A signpost and a polar bear warning sign at Svalbard’s Longyearbyen airport in July 2015. A story looking at how microplastics have been found in waters near Svalbard were among your most read stories this week. (Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images)

On this week’s news round-up, we bring you some of your most read stories from Eye on the Arctic this week:

-In her most recent blog, Arctic expert Heather Exner-Pirot looks at the participation of indigenous people in the Arctic Council and how a new funding mechanism might improve it.

– Researchers have detected microplastics in Arctic waters near Svalbard, Norway. Data suggests that most particles travelled long distances and are from plastic items used aboard ships or for fishing.

-Arctic blogger Mia Bennett looks at the new class of polar explorers emerging in the wake of an expanding cruise industry.

-And in news from Alaska, profiles of three women who’ve taken part in the whale hunt as harpooners, something that has traditionally been a male role

– Russia and Finland talked economy at the Barents Euro-Arctic Council meeting this week, before chairmanship of the organization passed on to Moscow.

That’s all from us for now. We’ll be back next week with the latest stories and newsmakers from across the North.

Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca

 

 

Eilís Quinn, Eye on the Arctic

Eilís Quinn is an award-winning journalist and manages Radio Canada International’s Eye on the Arctic news cooperation project. Eilís has reported from the Arctic regions of all eight circumpolar countries and has produced numerous documentary and multimedia series about climate change and the issues facing Indigenous peoples in the North.

Her investigative report "Death in the Arctic: A community grieves, a father fights for change," about the murder of Robert Adams, a 19-year-old Inuk man from Arctic Quebec, received the silver medal for “Best Investigative Article or Series” at the 2019 Canadian Online Publishing Awards. The project also received an honourable mention for excellence in reporting on trauma at the 2019 Dart Awards in New York City.

Her report “The Arctic Railway: Building a future or destroying a culture?” on the impact a multi-billion euro infrastructure project would have on Indigenous communities in Arctic Europe was a finalist at the 2019 Canadian Association of Journalists award in the online investigative category.

Her multimedia project on the health challenges in the Canadian Arctic, "Bridging the Divide," was a finalist at the 2012 Webby Awards.

Her work on climate change in the Arctic has also been featured on the TV science program Découverte, as well as Le Téléjournal, the French-Language CBC’s flagship news cast.

Eilís has worked for media organizations in Canada and the United States and as a TV host for the Discovery/BBC Worldwide series "Best in China."

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