Distant Early Warning – The Unknown Future of the Arctic

Distant Early Warning – The Unknown Future of the Arctic

The project Distant Early Warning is a visual record of the escalating state of the militarization and industrialization of the Arctic.

Discover several magnificent photographs by Canadian-American photographer and filmmaker Louie Palu

The project Distant Early Warning is a visual record of the escalating state of the militarization and industrialization of the Arctic. The region has passed a perilous tipping point as nations with territory in the Arctic Circle and others with economic interests in resource extraction and shipping routes have begun staking claims to this final frontier. In the 1950’s, fearing a Soviet nuclear attack over the Arctic, the United States and Canada constructed the Distant Early Warning Line, a radar system extending from Alaska to Greenland. For nearly 70 years, this forgotten Arctic frontline has been waiting for an attack. Though this radar system can detect a nuclear strike, it cannot defend against climate change. These changes in the Arctic have been influenced by many pressures, mostly from climate change, land claims, and the fracturing of the geopolitical order in the High North due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.