Svalbard, a desolate archipelago in the far reaches of the Arctic Ocean north of Norway, became inextricably entwined with climate science in 1930 when a landmark research paper was published on rising temperatures on its largest island, Spitsbergen. This ruminative video essay traces Svalbard’s complex history over the past century, during which it has been a hub for science, war and global commerce, and a reflection of the potential for human cooperation and destruction.