Calls for Indigenous Sovereignty Grow in the Arctic as Region Warms – Sierra Club

February 25, 2026

Inuit in Greenland and Canada rally around ecological hot spot as climate change and geopolitics threaten the region

Within North America’s Baffin Bay, one of the Arctic’s rarest natural phenomena forms: an expanse of open water that never freezes, even in the depths of winter. Known as the North Water Polynya, roughly the size of Lake Superior, it sits between Greenland and Canada and is the mainstay of life for the wildlife and Inuit who live in the region.

How this marvel of nature emerges depends on an intricate combination of shifting ocean currents to the south and a giant ice arch to the north. Together, these two forces hold back sea ice from entering the area. As the ocean currents merge, they block further sea ice from entering the polynya and create an upwelling of nutrient-rich water. With the Arctic warming four times faster than the rest of the world, sometimes this natural barrier fails to form.

Read More: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/calls-indigenous-sovereignty-grow-arctic-region-warms