A bizarre thing about Svalbard, or at least the areas surrounding the settlements, is the constant reminder of the coal mining industry. It is the reason the archipelago has remained settled, although it is now also at the forefront of global warming. Svalbard is the fastest warming place on Earth. In fact the entire Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the earth on average. This makes the presence of these “fossil relics” both a powerful reminder and a kind of irony.