When I first interviewed Longyearbyen’s newly elected mayor, Arild Olsen, in late January 2016, jobs were an urgent issue. Seven years later, with Olsen still in charge, climate change has taken center stage instead. Here is Olsen’s view from the top of the world, in the fastest warming town on Earth.

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Colorful homes and buildings line hillside above Longyearbyen harbor in July; Svalbard, Norway. © Randall Hyman