Byebye 2023 and Welcome 2024
Slowly, 2023 is drawing to a close and final preparations are being made for New Year’s Eve celebrations around the globe. PolarJournal is also preparing for the turn of the year and Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director Michael Wenger would like to take the opportunity to take a personal look back at the past year and look ahead to 2024.
A lot has happened over the past 12 months, both in the polar regions and here at PolarJournal. My colleagues took a look back in their latest articles this week. The topics they had to write about were not always nice or pleasant, as the Arctic and Antarctic are affected by many problems whose causes can be traced back to other parts of the world. For example, the war in Ukraine, which in its second year is still causing tensions in the Arctic and blocking necessary decisions in important Antarctic committees; or the growing hunger for raw materials in many countries, which is increasingly concentrating on the seabed of the Arctic Ocean, not least for the further development of a more sustainable energy supply; the increasing amounts of waste and pollutants that have now been detected in the polar deep sea areas and in the highest atmospheric regions and are affecting the flora and fauna there. And let’s not forget the number one issue in the polar regions: the effects of rising temperatures both in the air and in the oceans.
It seems like one could despair when writing about these problems and aspects over and over again. But only seemingly, because this year there were also many rays of hope and progress towards an exit. For example, the plastics symposium in Reykjavik provided good news in the fight against plastic pollution in the Arctic and showed where and what more can be done; at the One Planet Polar Summit, France and other countries decided to increase their contributions and efforts to protect the global cryosphere and are also providing more funding for science accordingly; at the Arctic Circle meeting, many projects and work in the Arctic regions were presented that are intended to ensure more climate protection, better inclusion and strengthening of the rights of indigenous peoples.
Critics might now complain that these movements are too slow, too vague, too weak and too late, or that they are just mere paper tigers. And perhaps they are right in part and the world needs faster and tougher measures to solve the problems in the Arctic and Antarctic. But that is the price to be paid in a democratic system where as many opinions as possible are to be included. In the end, there is usually only the lowest common denominator. But that’s better than no denominator at all, and at least it’s one step further than before. Reality versus wishful thinking.
We are also taking steps forward, as we have grown over the past 12 months. This is not least thanks to the expansion into French and the outstanding work of Mirjana Binggeli and Camille Lin in this area and Julia Hager and Heiner Kubny in the area of German and English articles. Also worth mentioning are the great, critical blog posts by Dr. Irene Quaile-Kersken and the other guest authors who also strongly contributed. This has raised the profile of PolarJournal as a serious information platform on polar affairs. Increased cooperation with other organizations and institutions, the publication of our articles on other platforms and many words of appreciation and praise from numerous experts are the result.
However, in order to keep up with this increasing level of awareness and the associated work to ensure quality standards, we have strengthened our team. In January 2024, Ole Ellekrog will join the editorial team. The trained journalist, who holds degrees from the Danish School of Media and Journalism and Charles University in Prague, has spent the past two years working as communications manager for The Arctic Hub in Greenland, where he was responsible for disseminating scientific work to the Greenlandic population. As a result, he not only gained deep insights into Arctic research and an excellent network of connections, but was also captured by the beauty of the Arctic.
And we are not only strengthening our team, we are also taking further strategic steps to expand our information work. This includes the launch of a new platform, planned for in March 2024, the content of which we are still keeping secret. Only this much can be revealed: It is the biggest and most ambitious project since our launch and is also intended to mark our 5th birthday. And with this launch, an old acquaintance, Kevin McGwin, will also be returning to the PolarJournal team, but in a new role.
We are also planning to expand our communication channels by increasing our presence on social media, increasing the reach of our newsletter and opening up a new channel thanks to our collaboration with two young and highly motivated journalists. Again, we don’t want to give away too much, but anyone who is curious should continue to follow us.
The website will also receive some new features and provide even more information. This means that you will continue to be kept up to date on the Arctic and Antarctic in 2024.
I would like to thank you all, dear readers, for your interest in and loyalty to our platform and wish you all a happy, reflective and enjoyable New Year’s Eve and a Happy New Year. May 2024 bring only the very best for all of us, above all peace, health and happiness. Cheers!
Dr Michael Wenger, PolarJournal
