As an Arctic nation, the United States plays a key role in international Arctic activities and policies. The U.S. Arctic is home to vibrant Indigenous communities, critical for national defense, and rich in wildlife and natural resources that are essential to Arctic residents and important to the Nation. Changes in the Arctic reverberate throughout the world, and the Arctic is warming about four times faster than the rest of the world. Associated changes—diminishing sea ice, thawing permafrost, collapse of fisheries, altered patterns of wildlife distribution and abundance, and coastal erosion—impact Arctic communities and global patterns of weather, energy, trade, and more.
The Arctic Research and Policy Act () of 1984, as amended, reached its 40th anniversary in 2024. The Act enables comprehensive policy for research priorities, needs, and objectives in the Arctic, and set in motion an extraordinary range of Arctic activities to enhance knowledge and partner with the people and communities of Alaska and beyond. These activities are reflected in the Arctic Research Plan for 2022-2026, which builds off of earlier work advancing scientific understanding of ongoing changes in the Arctic system, while also elevating the priority areas of health and community resilience, more sustainable economies and livelihoods, and managing risks and mitigating hazards.
Today, is releasing an updated implementation plan for the final two years of the 2022-2026 Arctic Research Plan. This new implementation plan outlines the specific actions that the federal agencies of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee () and our nonfederal partners will take in the next two years to advance Arctic research.
The new implementation plan outlines 85 actions to support research, create products, and coordinate information sharing. One theme permeating the new plan is research aimed at strengthening the resilience of the infrastructure on which Arctic communities depend. The plan also includes a focus on engaging Indigenous communities in research and improving federal capacity to meaningfully and equitably respond to the research needs of these communities.
These concerted efforts will help communities to make informed decisions as they adapt to pressing environmental changes in the Arctic. While the Arctic Research Plan is a federally drafted plan, non-federal partners are key to its success. is grateful to the members of the Arctic research community who contributed ideas and input to the development of this plan, and we ask that interested community members join Collaborations to participate in implementing the plan.