Polar Regions News Roundup W/C 29th January 2024

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Polar Regions News

Your weekly Polar news roundup

Helping you stay informed of the latest developments in climate change, environmental conservation, scientific research, geopolitical dynamics, economic opportunities and indigenous rights in the Polar Regions.

29th January 2024

Scientists warn melting permafrost could unleash ancient ‘zombie viruses’

Scientists revive 48,500-year-old 'zombie virus' in frozen Siberia lake

Scientists revive 48,500-year-old 'zombie virus' in frozen Siberia lake. The effects of disturbing millennia-old viruses could be ‘calamitous’, scientists warn

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Labour MP stirred by disappearing Antarctic ice and her father’s legacy

Anna McMorrin in Antarctica. Photograph: Anna McMorrin Climate crisis Labour MP stirred by disappearing Antarctic ice and her father’s legacy Anna McMorrin says Labour ‘absolutely determined’ on net zero after visiting Antarctica and finding report by her father, a polar researcher  Rachel Hall Rachel Hall @rachela_hall Sun 21 Jan 2024 15.04 GMT

Anna McMorrin says Labour ‘absolutely determined’ on net zero after visiting Antarctica and finding report by her father, a polar researcher.

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How Russia is taking control of the Arctic – video

Josh Toussaint-Strauss explores how Russia has managed to circumvent the west and further entrench its claim to the Arctic

Controlling the Arctic has long been an ambition of Soviet and Russian leaders. And it's not hard to see why.

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Satellites used to spot new emperor penguin colonies in the Antarctic from space

File pic: PA - Emperor penguins and chicks

British scientists are eager to map penguin colonies in the inhospitable and hard to access region as climate change threatens to melt their habitat.

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In pictures: Members of the Commando Helicopter Force learn to operate in the Arctic

Students set off from Bardufoss for five nights of field training (Picture: MOD)

British soldiers are learning how to survive and operate in the extreme cold as part of Operation Clockwork.

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Have you read our latest Polar Notes article? See below for the most recent publication on the APPG Polar Regions website.

Polar Note: Greetings from the South Pole...APPG Chairman, MP James Gray, documents his recent fact-finding mission to Antarctica

APPG Chairman, James Gray MP

Welcome the start of our 2024 Polar Notes series: our fortnightly feature looking at a current polar issue or topic of conversation in more depth.  Our newest article, authored by APPG Chairman, James Gray MP, documents his recent fact-finding mission to Antarctica, in his capacity as Chairman of the Polar Regions Sub-Committee of Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee. He, and five other MPs from the Committee, travelled to Antarctica to better understand the challenges facing this icy continent, feeding into their ongoing Inquiry.

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We’d love to hear from you! Contact the APPG for the Polar Regions at info@appgpolarregions.uk