Svalbard's dilemma - 4th January 2023

Norway's Arctic archipelago, Svalbard, is in danger. It's an Arctic paradise with polar bears, the midnight sun and the northern lights. It's located 1,300 kilometres from the North Pole and people travel there using commercial flights. However, Svalbard's experiencing significant changes due to climate change. The Arctic's warming three times faster than the rest of the planet.

Svalbard's tourism has made an effort to be as environmentally friendly as possible. However, travelling to the area produces a lot of pollution as Visit Svalbard's director, Ronny Brunvoll tells us.

Ronny Brunvoll: "The really big problem is, is the transport to and from Svalbard. Both in tourism but also us as locals that live here. We have a climate footprint per capita in Longyearbyen that is insane."

At the start of 2022, cruise ships which cause pollution from fuel use, were banned from going to Svalbard. One Norwegian cruise company, Hurtigruten, has started using technology to help lessen their pollution. Director Tore Hoem describes their plan.

Tore Hoem: "Well, we try to, to be as, as sustainable as technology allows us and this is for us a big step forward in that direction. And we hope to sort of make a difference and help technology go forward."

When Svalbard's coal mines were opened, the population grew significantly. Many of the mines are no longer in operation, but the islands still depend on coal for electricity. Today, Svalbard's main industry is tourism. However, with 140,000 tourists visiting each year, the environment is at risk. Local newspaper editor Børre Haugli explains.

Børre Haugli: "The tourist industry themself in Svalbard want to have sustainable industry and they develop themself into more sustainable activities. But I think we are on the limit of, of how many tourists we can cope with."