From Mother Jones · Ed Struzik · · 2m
Arctic research collapses as funding cuts deepen
Canada's Arctic wildlife research stations shut down amid funding cuts and geopolitical tensions.
In brief
Canada's Arctic wildlife research stations shut down amid funding cuts and geopolitical tensions. Canada's Arctic wildlife research stations shut down as funding cuts and geopolitical tensions threaten to halt critical climate monitoring. Originally reported by Mother Jones.
Eider duck research station established
In the 1990s, Canada set up a research station near Mitivik Island to address eider duck population declines.
Inuit and scientists collaborate
Inuit hunters and scientists worked together to solve eider duck migration patterns and decline causes.
Research station shut down in 2024
Canada's Environment and Climate Change department closed the research station in 2024 after eider numbers dropped from 8,000 pairs to a few hundred.
Funding cuts impact Arctic research
Canada's Wildlife Service faces high costs and funding cuts, reducing research in Arctic regions by 10 percent.
Geopolitical tensions affect research
Arctic Council work is undermined by geopolitical tensions, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
US research publications drop
US research publications on climate change in Greenland fell by 32 percent between 2021 and 2024.
Greenland Institute halts collaborations
Greenland's environmental research center paused US collaborations after Trump threatened to take over the island.
Eider population crash
An avian cholera outbreak killed up to 3,000 eider females in 2006, reducing the population by half over eight seasons.
Polar bears impact eiders
Receding sea ice forced polar bears to hunt eider eggs, causing increased predation on nesting birds.
Parasites reduce contaminants
Eiders host parasites that absorb mercury and lead, reducing contamination in their tissues.
Research funding cuts continue
Canada's government committed to reducing Environment and Climate Change workforce by 10 percent in 2025.
Arctic highway construction
Canada invests $405 million to build a highway to the Arctic coast, part of a $40 billion sovereignty plan.
Polar bear research at risk
Canada has almost no polar bear research left, with only long-term monitoring in Western Hudson Bay and James Bay.
Researchers leave Arctic
Ornithologist Mark Mallory left Arctic research due to high costs and inconsistent funding.
Eiders face uncertain future
Eiders at Mitivik Island may not return, as researchers shift to cheaper sites on Baffin Island.
Here's the gist
Canada's Arctic wildlife research stations shut down as funding cuts and geopolitical tensions threaten to halt critical climate monitoring.
