Climate change and pollution, including plastics, ship emissions and wastewater, pose significant threats to human health and the ecosystems of the Arctic region. The ICEBERG (Innovative Community Engagement for Building Effective Resilience and Arctic Ocean Pollution-control Governance in the Context of Climate Change) project is tackling these problems in collaboration with Indigenous and local communities.
From 2024-2026, we will study pollution and its impacts on the ecosystems and communities in three regions in the European Arctic: Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), Iceland and Svalbard.
Through innovative community engagement, we are co-developing resilience strategies to combat pollution and climate change, while also creating recommendations for new pollution-control governance.
ICEBERG Newsletter
As we reach the mid-point of the ICEBERG project and complete our midterm reporting, it feels like the right moment to pause and reflect on our collective journey so far.
The past 1.5 years have been both challenging and inspiring. Bringing together such a diverse consortium has shown us the true value of collaboration across disciplines and cultures. We have learned that while navigating through an ambitious project takes time and effort, it also creates space for innovation, new connections, and shared understanding. The reporting process itself has given us the opportunity to look back on what we have achieved, but also to identify where we can grow stronger as a team, in the science we do, and in our engagement with communities.
So far, we have laid important foundations: engaging with communities, developing shared methodologies, carrying out several field seasons, and beginning to see how the first concrete outputs take shape. These achievements mirror the dedication and creativity of everyone involved in the consortium and we are especially grateful to our local coordinators in Iceland and South Greenland for their outstanding support.
Looking forward, the next phase of our work is especially exciting as we move from data to policy impact. With the groundwork in place, we will deepen our research, broaden engagement with stakeholders, and most importantly move to translating our results into practice, through policy recommendations. We are eager to see how our combined efforts will unfold.
Thank you to everyone for your commitment and enthusiasm. Together, we are making ICEBERG more than a project, we are creating a community of knowledge and action.