What to make of a warming plateau. "As unlikely as this may sound, we have lucked out in recent years when it comes to global warming. The rise in the surface temperature of Earth has been markedly slower over the last 15 years than in the 20 years before that. And that lull in warming has occurred even as greenhouse gases have accumulated in the atmosphere at a record pace." New York Times 

Arctic resources drawing outsider states in. "On May 15, the eight member states and six permanent participants of the Arctic Council granted six non-Arctic states permanent observer status: China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, and Italy. The admittance of six states that are geographically removed from the Arctic has raised concerns that the council's core values of environmental protection and sustainable development will be diluted. Although observers on the council do not have voting rights, they do have the ability to make proposals and influence policy... Much of the concern is driven by the belief that the energy demands of rising economic superpowers, notably China and India, will have deleterious environmental impacts." Winnipeg Free Press 

Norway awards Arctic oil licences in northwards push. "Norway awarded 24 oil and gas exploration licences on Wednesday, mostly in the Arctic Barents Sea, potentially offering some impetus to a northward push in the search for energy that has been held back by rising costs and taxes. It granted licences to 29 companies, including international majors Royal Dutch Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, Total and local heavyweight Statoil, in hopes of reviving oil production that is on course to fall to a 25-year low this year." Reuters 

Alyeska president talks oil throughput at luncheon. "As oil production continues to drop, the costs to operate the trans-Alaska oil pipeline are continuing to rise, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. President Thomas Barrett said Tuesday. Speaking to the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce's weekly luncheon, Barrett said dropping throughput has raised issues along the 800 miles of the pipeline, from wax buildup inside the line and snow buildup on cooler storage containers." Fairbanks News-Miner 

Deadline looming, Alaska oil tax repeal petition gains momentum. "In the wake of announcements by BP and other oil majors of large investments in Alaska, opponents of Senate Bill 21 that cuts Alaska's oil taxes are racing to gather signatures for a repeal referendum. The bill's supporters, meanwhile, are mobilizing to keep the new tax system in place. If SB 21's opponents can collect 30,169 signatures, equivalent to 10 percent of voter turnout in the 2012 general election, by the July 13 deadline, as well as fulfill geographic requirements, the referendum will appear on the August 2014 primary ballot. SB 21 is set to take effect this coming January." Alaska Dispatch 

Canada's Northwest Territories investigating medevac response time. "The health department in Canada's Northwest Territories is investigating why it took five hours for a medevac to arrive in the community of Trout Lake after a boating crash two weeks ago. Air Tindi has King Air outfitted as medevacs to respond to emergencies, but Trout Lake is one of three communities that doesn't have a runway long enough for that type of plane to land." Alaska Dispatch 

Q&A: Scientist Doug Wallace has an ocean of concerns about climate. Based at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Dr. Wallace, the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Ocean Science and Technology, gives a Q&A on his research. "I do have a concern right now that, while climate change in the Arctic is an economic opportunity, somebody is going to pay the price and that could include Canadians as well." The Globe and Mail 

Russian rescue mission reaches drifting North Pole station. "A Russian nuclear icebreaker has reached a drifting polar research station and is preparing to evacuate its stranded scientists, a spokesman for the ship's operator Atomflot said on Monday. 'The trip to the ice floe took seven and a half days,' the spokesman said, adding the icebreaker Yamal forced its way through the ice at speeds up to 8 knots (15 km/h). The researchers and equipment from the North Pole 40 (SP-40) station are to be evacuated to the Russian Arctic city of Murmansk. RIA Novosti 

Arctic governments stand by as deadly pollution spews from Russia's Nikel mine. "The nickel mine in the aptly named town of Nikel in northwestern Russia is usually notable for three things: it's big, it's a massive source of pollution, and, for more than 20 years, it's defied all attempts to change...The presence of organizations such as the Arctic Council and the Barents Council means countries are increasingly trying to tackle Arctic issues as a group, but disagreements still arise." Nunatsiaq Online 

How much carbon can the world's forests absorb? "According to this analysis, intact forests and those re-growing after disturbance (like harvesting or windthrow) sequestered around 4 billion tonnes of carbon per year over the measurement period-equivalent to almost 60% of emissions from fossil fuel burning and cement production combined." Phys.org 

As Arctic ice melts, disease spreads. "Claire Heffernan, a veterinarian and a specialist in global health and disease interaction between animals and humans, said that as the climate warms in Arctic regions, more and more diseases from Europe and elsewhere are spreading there, threatening both animal and human populations." DailyClimate.org