The year 2022 passes tonight and it was like a ride through the ice. Small and big icebergs and ice floes appeared on the way and one had to stop and look for a new way, maybe back up and take a new run to break the ice. But one has maneuvered through the confusion of this year like through dense Arctic or Antarctic pack ice, and the hope remains that the journey ahead will be somewhat easier and with fewer obstacles.
The year that is coming to an end was full of surprises and twists that were not seen coming at the beginning of 2022. The signs were for relaxation, opening up and a new start after two years of all-dominant pandemic, the sun seemed to rise again. But instead, the focus shifted to a new conflict, now assuming global proportions, driven by a war in the middle of Europe. It was a scenario that no one had expected and whose effects were and are still being felt as far away as the polar regions.
In the context of energy and polar regions, the topic of climate change was naturally also a focus of interest. Whether it was scientific findings, political decisions (or non-decisions), or simply extreme weather events, this also kept people and the media busy.
But not everything in 2022 was negative. There was a lot of positive news and announcements from different areas like society, research or politics related to the Arctic and Antarctic.
For us at PolarJournal, 2022 was also a turbulent year with many twists and challenges that affected us both indirectly and directly. Steering the PolarJournal ship through the year was sometimes like sailing through the Arctic Ocean with pack ice coming up, fog, bad weather, but also lots of sunshine. And in the end, we can proudly say that we have gained a lot, both in terms of readers, but also in terms of partnerships and also experience. And they have ensured that we will approach the coming year with all its challenges with further, new plans. Above all, we are pleased that with a somewhat larger team and an additional language, we can continue to expand our task of making developments and events in the Arctic and Antarctic known to the public in a factual, informative and fact-based manner. We will explain more here at the beginning of January.
There will be many running in the coming year and we look forward to going this way for you and with you in 2023, continuing to inform you in our usual competent, factual and factual way about all the things, happenings and people in the Arctic and Antarctic. Thank you for continuing to be a part of our audience, following us, and reading and sharing our posts everywhere. It only remains for us to wish you all and your loved ones a Happy New Year, much happiness, health, success and love in 2023. Cheers and here’s to you!
Dr Michael Wenger, PolarJournal
