Carnival Corporation cruise ships put Arctic, Subarctic marine mammals at risk, groundbreaking new map shows

SAN FRANCISCO — A groundbreaking new interactive map released today by the international Clean Up Carnival coalition shows that nearly half of Carnival Corporation cruise ships traveling through the Arctic and Subarctic pass near or through critical habitats for marine mammals including orca, walrus, and bowhead, narwhal, and beluga whales. The map details information on … Read more

Our Top 7 of 2018

Here are seven accomplishments I’m especially proud of this year. They would not have been possible without your generosity and passion. We won strong international protections for Arctic and Alaskan communities and wildlife. New rules now require ships to avoid fragile marine ecosystems around three islands in the Bering Sea (Nunivak Island, St. Lawrence Island, and King Island)—reducing the … Read more

You Make A Difference

Now, more than ever, we depend on the courage and dedicated activism of grassroots activists like you. As our own government is denying climate change and allowing polluters to pump more toxins into our water, our food, and our bodies, it’s up to you and me and others like us to fight for our future. … Read more

Do You Want to Help Protect the Arctic?

Last February, Indigenous and environmental allies and I sat at a table in London with international policy makers. We had a proposal between us to protect communities and wildlife in the Bering Strait and Sea from increased ship traffic. At that moment, years of advocacy and community organizing hung by a thread. In a surprise … Read more

Take Action: Tell Carnival to Stop Destroying the Arctic

Did you know? Cruise giant Carnival’s Arctic ships have a dirty secret. Enticing passengers with promises of first-row tickets to the Arctic’s stunning natural wonders, few people know that Carnival’s ships are powered by one of the dirtiest fossil fuels on the planet. It’s called heavy fuel oil, and if spilled, this dirty oil would … Read more

Lake Baikal Loses a Critical Champion

Ecologist and indigenous activist Sergei Shapkhaev, who galvanized popular support for the world’s largest freshwater lake and protected it from industrial activities, has died in his native Buryatia in southern Siberia at age 71. Longtime friend and fellow activist Anatoly Lebedev says Sergei was “a symbol, an omen, a shamanic totem of Lake Baikal.” Inspiring … Read more

3 Exciting Victories for Arctic Conservation

Does it feel like the Arctic just can’t catch a break these days? Living in Alaska, I see changes to the climate first hand and I hear stories from those living in small communities along the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean. I’m bombarded with relentless news coverage reminding me that the Arctic is melting, communities … Read more

A Message from the Arctic

Sheila Watt-Cloutier is an environmental, cultural, and human rights advocate from Canada and the former chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council. She is the author of “The Right to be Cold,” which is the culmination of her work over the last 25 years discussing climate change, leadership, and sustainability in the Arctic. On April 10, … Read more

Communities Win International Protections for the Arctic Ocean

Reporting directly from London, I’m excited to tell you that yesterday was a big day for Arctic waters and wildlife. Indigenous leaders and environmental activists like me convinced the international community to adopt new rules that require ships to avoid fragile marine ecosystems, reducing the threat of oil spills, environmental disasters, and harm to wildlife … Read more

Tell Trump the Arctic Ocean is Not for Sale

The Trump administration is moving forward with its disastrous plan to hand Alaska’s waters over to Big Oil. Its first target? The Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean. Tell Trump and his administration that you want to #ProtectTheArctic. Located above Northeastern Alaska between Point Barrow and Canada, the Beaufort Sea is experiencing the same decline … Read more

NEWS FROM THE FIELD: Offshore Oil Drilling Protests in Anchorage

On February 21, I joined dozens of impassioned Alaskans to protest the Trump administration’s reckless plan to sell nearly all our coastline to Big Oil. Standing outside the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage, I watched through the fog of my breath in the chilly winter evening as Alaska Native activists called the plan a violation of … Read more

Our Top 5 of 2017

The most powerful force on Earth is people power. Every day, people around the Pacific Rim who are finding new and creative ways to protect us all from climate breakdown, air pollution, water loss, and plastic waste. Here are five wins that you helped us and our partners on the ground achieve in 2017. We truly couldn’t … Read more

What I’m Fighting for in the Arctic

One of my most cherished gifts given to me is a beautiful sealskin vest made by my grandmother. She was from St. Lawrence Island in the northern Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska. There, life continues to be sustained by our traditions of subsistence, with blessed wildlife that has nourished our people for thousands of … Read more

#GivingTuesday: A Unique Chance to Protect Snow Leopards

Meet Khorgai—one of just 70 snow leopards left in Russia. A skilled hunter, he uses his long, broad tail to move with balance and stealth across rocky mountaintops. His dense gray and white fur keeps him warm and camouflaged. Khorgai roams the harsh Chikhacheva Ridge which straddles Russia’s Altai and Tuva Republics and the northwest corner of … Read more

Trump’s Secretive Attack on America’s Oceans

When you keep information secret, the question is: what do you have to hide and who are you hiding it from? In the case of our national marine monuments and sanctuaries, it looks like President Trump and his administration are hiding from people like you and me! Why? Because they know that their attacks on … Read more

Trump Is Getting Ready to Harm Ocean Life

Here is a quick update on our shared fight against Trump’s attempt to harm ocean life in the Pacific. After conducting a sham review of 27 of our nation’s monuments on land and in the sea, the Trump administration is now getting ready to gut protections for some of America’s greatest marine treasures. But we … Read more

Big Decision on Toxic Oil to Keep Arctic Ocean Life Safe

Good news this afternoon in London: The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) marine environment protection committee just approved our coalition’s proposal to deal with the issue of dangerous heavy fuel oil in the Arctic. This means there will now be international rulemaking to mitigate risks of heavy fuel oil and, hopefully, phase out this dangerous oil in the Arctic. … Read more