"Despite its extremity, Svalbard is a geopolitical hotspot. And even here, the war in Ukraine is having an effect. The conflict has now halted cooperation between climate scientists in Russia and in the West, Holmén says.
“One of the consequences is that the official exchange with Russian institutions is not possible at this time. And of course, half of the Arctic is Russian coastline.”
Already, this has weakened the fight against climate change, Holmén believes.
“If we are unable to share knowledge and data in both directions it will hamper our ability to understand what is happening,” he says. “We need each other in order to do good science.”" Svalbard: The race to save the fastest-warming place on Earth - BBC News