U.S. ambassador David Balton (right), chair of the Arctic Council’s Senior Arctic Officials group, said that a scientific cooperation agreement is nearing fruition. Also pictured are (right) Magnus Johannesson, Arctic Council Secretariat director, and (background) Halldor Thorgeirsson, director for strategy with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Credit: Arctic Council Secretariat / Linnea Nordström, CC BY-ND 2.0