Climate change comes first and fastest in the Arctic The northernmost functional settlement in the world is Ny Ålesund in Svalbard, at 78 ° 56’N. It is surrounded by ice and snow; the area is populated by 100 polar bears for every human inhabitant. An unfinished church and some mining ruins show the past. Once a starting point for expeditions to the North Pole and a former mining site in the early 20th century, it is now the biggest Arctic lab in the far North. Here scientists from all over the world live and conduct research concerning climate change. Often they dedicate their life to science and take considerable risks to gain new insights in their various fields. They come from countries such as Italy, Germany, France and the UK, but also South Korea, India and China. We will introduce several different projects, among these an international cooperation between Italy, Germany, Japan and South Korea, and we’ll meet scientists and permanent residents to show work and life in this village off the beaten track .