Arctic Circle Assembly 2026
The Arctic Circle Assembly is the largest annual international gathering on Arctic affairs. Each year it brings together around 2,500 participants from more than 70 countries, including government leaders, Indigenous representatives, scientists, businesses, and civil society.
This year’s program shows how quickly the conversation on Arctic climate intervention is growing, with nine sessions set to address Arctic tipping-point risks, the assessment and research of proposed climate interventions, and governance.
Ocean Visions has been working to build the evidence base for this conversation since 2024. Our Arctic Sea Ice Road Maps assess the state of knowledge on 21 proposed approaches to slowing Arctic sea ice loss, and we update them regularly as new research emerges. Understanding fast-changing Arctic risks requires that evidence base. It also requires assessing potential responses rigorously against it, including their uncertainties, tradeoffs, and governance needs. As an Arctic Circle partner, we’re contributing to that work at this year’s Assembly.
Learn more about our session contribution and the eight related sessions below. Ocean Visions will also be hosting a side event on Saturday, October 10th, during lunch. Details coming soon. If you are interested in attending you may inquire about the event with Senior Program Director Virginia Selz – ginny@oceanvisions.org
Event: Slowing Arctic Ice Loss: What We Know & What Comes Next
Understanding rapidly changing Arctic risks also means generating the evidence base and rigorously assessing potential responses against that evidence base, including the uncertainties, trade-offs, and governance needs. On Thursday, 8 October, Ocean Visions will host the session “Slowing Arctic Ice Loss: What We Know & What Comes Next,” moderated by Ocean Visions CEO Brad Ack. The panel brings together Arctic researchers and co-production team members from the Study of Arctic Environmental Change.
Speakers:
- Ginny Selz – Senior Program Director, Repair, Ocean Visions, USA
- Brendan Kelly – Chief Scientist, International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA
- Albert van Wijngaarden – PhD Candidate, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK
- Merle Apassingok – Co-Production Team Member, Drivers & Ecological Consequences of Arctic Change, Study of Arctic Environmental Change, USA
- Darlene Tocktoo Turner – Co-Production Team Member, Human Well Being, Study of Arctic Environmental Change, USA
Moderator:
- Brad Ack – CEO, Ocean Visions, USA
Side Event: From Arctic Climate Risk to Informed Response – A conversation on Arctic Climate Interventions
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
Time: 12:15-14:15
Location: Sky Bar
This year’s Arctic Circle Assembly will include a series of sessions hosted by several organizations focused on Arctic sea ice, tipping points, and Arctic climate intervention research and governance.
Attention to climate intervention research is growing, but discourse around these approaches remains polarized, underscoring the need for informed, inclusive, and transdisciplinary dialogue focused on risk, responsibility, and governance. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are urgent and non-negotiable for climate stabilization, yet they are unlikely to cool the planet fast enough to prevent irreversible climate impacts. As the world approaches and in some cases crosses critical tipping points, policymakers and decision-makers face increasing pressure to understand how climate risks can be reduced and managed in the near term.
To continue and deepen conversations on these topics Ocean Visions encourages participation in a lunch sideline event from interested researchers, Indigenous representatives, policymakers, funders, and practitioners. This will be an informal conversation about where the field stands today and what is needed.
Brief opening remarks will establish shared context for the discussion. Those new to these topics as well as participants bringing perspectives from other disciplines, sectors, and communities are encouraged to attend.
Doors open at 12:15. The event starts at 12:30.
Register here: https://luma.com/tguqr41u
Related Events:
Event: Risks of Our Era & the Tools to Manage Them
Date: Friday, 9 October
Time: 08:30–09:25
Organized by: Varða, Iceland; Arctic Stabilization Initiative, Renaissance Philanthropy, USA
Speakers
- Petteri Vuorimäki – Special Envoy for Climate and Security, Government of Finland
- Marianne Hagen – Co-lead, Seabed Curtain Project, UArctic – University of the Arctic
Moderator
- Kristinn Árni Lár Hróbjartsson – Director, Varða, Iceland
Event: Parameters for Arctic Climate Intervention Assessments
Date: Saturday, 10 October
Time: 09:45–10:40
Organized by: UK Arctic Office
Speakers
- Simona Capisani – Associate Professor of Philosophy, Durham University, UK
- Neil Craik – Professor of Law, University of Waterloo, Canada
- Kate Hendry – Deputy Science Leader, British Antarctic Survey
- Gosia Smieszek-Rice – Deputy Secretary, AMAP
- Albert van Wijngaarden – PhD Candidate, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK
Moderator
- Philip Steinberg – UArctic Chair in Political Geography, Durham University, UK
Event: Solar Geoengineering in the Arctic: A Governance Dialogue
Date: Saturday, 10 October
Time: 11:00–11:55
Organized by: The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering (DSG), USA
Speakers
- Ilona Mettiäinen – Environmental Social Scientist, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Finland
- Albert van Wijngaarden – PhD Candidate, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK
- Jennifer Spence – Professor, Arctic Governance & Community Resilience, University of Ottawa, Canada
- Mark Shimamoto – Vice President of Global Outreach & Partnerships, American Geophysical Union
Moderator
- Shuchi Talati – Founder & Executive Director, The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering (DSG), USA
Event: Indigenous & Expert Assessment of Climate Interventions
Date: Saturday, 10 October
Time: 15:35–16:30
Organized by: UArctic – University of the Arctic
Speakers
- Tiina Kurvits – Project Manager, GRID-Arendal, Norway
- Albert van Wijngaarden – PhD Candidate, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK
- Julius Mihkkal Eriksen Lindi – Project Advisor, Saami Council
Event: Rethickening Arctic Sea Ice: Beneath the Surface
Date: Saturday, 10 October
Time: 16:50–17:45
Organized by: Centre for Climate Repair, University of Cambridge, UK; Real Ice, UK; Arctic Reflections, Netherlands
Speakers
- Fonger Ypma – CEO, Arctic Reflections, Netherlands
- Andrea Ceccolini – CEO, Real Ice, UK
- Jessica Veldstra – Executive Director, Aleut International Association
Moderator
- Shaun Fitzgerald – Director, Centre for Climate Repair, University of Cambridge, UK
Tipping Points Events
Event: AMOC: Towards the Point of No Return
Date: Thursday, 8 October
Time: 08:30–09:25
Organized by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iceland; Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, UK
Speakers
- Harald Aspelund – Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iceland
- Megan Richmond – Arctic Policy Officer, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, UK
- Femke de Jong – Senior Scientist, Department of Ocean Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ)
- Laura Jackson – Expert Scientist, Ocean, Cryosphere & Climate Group, UK Met Office
- Steingrímur Jónsson – Professor, University of Akureyri & Marine & Freshwater Research Institute, Iceland
Moderator
- Ines Coppoolse – Ambassador to Norway & Iceland, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands
Event: AMOC Collapse: A National Security Threat
Date: Friday, 9 October
Time: 13:30
Organized by: Plenary
Speakers
- H.E. Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson – Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate, Iceland
- Johan Rockström – Co-Founder, Planetary Guardians; Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany
Moderator
- H.E. Katrín Jakobsdóttir – Chair, Arctic Circle Polar Dialogue; Prime Minister of Iceland 2017–2024
Event: AMOC Collapse: A National Security Threat
Date: Friday, 9 October
Time: 16:05–17:00
Organized by: Planetary Guardians; Government of Iceland
Speakers
- Johan Rockström – Co-Founder, Planetary Guardians; Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany
- TBD
Related Resources:
Learn more about Ocean Visions’ work on Arctic sea ice and the evidence behind proposed approaches to slowing its loss. The resources below cover the current state of knowledge, the case for prioritizing this research, and the principles guiding our work in this area. We invite you to explore them before or after the Assembly.