Threading between the Diomedes islands – one American, the other Russian – our explorers finally exit the Bering Strait and complete the Northwest Passage. They sprint now toward the safety of the Aleutian islands, but not before passing one last astonishing impact of climate change: an entire community that is sinking into the sea, creating America’s first climate refugees. In a mere two months, our sailors have completed a journey that Britain’s Royal Navy could not achieve in five centuries of trying. But the modern explorer’s elation comes with the unsettling knowledge of a bizarre new reality emerging on the furthest margins of the world stage that will profoundly impact the lives of everyone on Earth.
