The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of March 21, 2022
High North Dialogue 2022: A Platform to Discuss the Current Arctic Agenda
The High North Dialogue 2022 Conference will be taking place in under two weeks, on April 6 and 7. The conference will be held both online and in-person in Bodø, Norway, with support from The Arctic Institute, Nord University, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Equinor, and other institutions. This year’s topic is “Business in the Arctic – The Great Shifts,” where the issues of green, governance, ocean technology and demographic shifts will be discussed. Registration for the event is still open. (High North Dialogue)
Take 1: The conference offers a unique platform for sharing information, exchanging ideas, and discussing the best practices and possible solutions to current issues. This is more important than ever: an Arctic region that is dramatically changing due to serious events related to Russia and Ukraine generates many questions. Even though main Arctic organizations have put cooperation with Russia on hold, it is still important to continue to deal with the problems faced by the region. Cooperation at different levels is more vital to sustainable business and societal development in the Arctic than ever. Issues of governance are at the cornerstone of the region’s future. As the potential destruction of existing structures looms ominously close, what steps are needed to ensure effective and meaningful Arctic governance in these fast-changing and uncertain times? How will these global challenges and crises affect Arctic peoples and communities? Answers to these and other questions will be discussed at the panel session on governance shifts. (High North Dialogue)
Swedish and Finnish Soldiers Take Part in NATO Exercises in Norway
As reported by The Barents Observer on March 23, more than 2,300 troops from Finland and Sweden have arrived in northern Norway for NATO’s biannual Cold Response drill. The 1,600 Swedish troops and Finnish contingent of about 700 soldiers will form a joint brigade focused on training in the Troms area. This year’s Cold Response exercise will see a total of about 35,000 troops from 27 countries training in an area stretching from Finnmark in the north-east of Norway to Narvik further south. (The Barents Observer)
Take 2: Although defense cooperation between the two countries has strengthened in recent years, Russian aggression has brought them even closer. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has upended the status quo in traditionally non-aligned Finland and Sweden, sparking discussions about possible entry into the Alliance. Neither of the countries have seriously sought NATO membership in the past for fear of disrupting regional stability, but now everything may change in the opposite direction. NATO’s role in the Arctic seems sure to increase. The U.S. has already been paying greater attention to the Arctic theater in recent years through the presence of the Alliance in Norway, the leading voice for promoting the organization in the region Nevertheless, the Arctic has been an area with a low level of conflict between Circumpolar powers. However, this could be changing: The unpredictable behavior of the Russian authorities, combined with militarization, is cementing the Arctic region as a security concern. It will no longer be possible to ignore the importance of the region in collective security. (High North News, Reuters, The Heritage Foundation)
India Aspires to Have a Permanent Presence in the Arctic Region
As reported by The Hindu on March 20, India is planning to expand its activities in the Arctic following the new “Arctic Policy” strategy published last week by the government. The country is determined to deepen its presence in the fields of business, responsible exploration of natural resources, and scientific research by establishing more research stations and ground stations in the Arctic region. (The Hindu)
Take 3: The current stage of Arctic development is characterized by a surge of interest from a wide range of non-Circumpolar countries. India is no exception. Since becoming an Observer in the Arctic Council in 2013, India has been participating in meetings and contributing to its six Working Groups. The country is actively engaged in Arctic scientific activities through its establishment of the Himadri research station on Svalbard, and has already sent 13 expeditions to the Arctic. The establishment of satellite ground stations in the region also comes along with plans to acquire an icebreaker ship, India’s first Polar Research Vessel (PRV). Expansion of the Northern Sea Route opportunities due to climate change will allow the country to embark on the path of exploiting the resource-rich Arctic. At the same time, India’s Arctic strategy states that all human activity in the region should be responsible. Hopefully, the Indian Arctic policy’s aim to be guided by environmental protection, sustainable development, and respect for northern communities’ rights will not just be empty words. (Gulf Today, High North News)
Northern Indigenous Communities face an Acute Housing Crisis in Canada
As reported by CBC News on March 23, the Canadian Northwest Territories are facing a constant shortage of accessible, affordable, and decent housing. The federal government’s Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs (INAN) is exploring the consequences of the housing shortage for local Indigenous communities, with regional government witnesses to the working group calling for better funding. (CBC News)
Take 4: With a short building season, high building costs, environmental challenges, and lack of transport infrastructure, the housing crisis is not a new problem in the Canadian Arctic, especially in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. But the problem is highly relevant now, with a growing population causing a greater demand for proper accommodation. Since 2016, federal authorities have taken serious steps to partially resolve this issue, but the growing need for housing requires constant actions. In the absence of new agreements, current social housing agreements and funding will expire by 2038. putting Canadians under increased financial stress and a greater risk of homelessness. Already now, Nunavut has 39% of households in critical need of housing, while the Northwest Territories has 20%. Most current social housing in these regions is also several decades old, with the public housing population suffering from erosion and mold. In addition, overpopulation and high accommodation prices are acute problems. The inadequate and unsafe housing conditions affect the health and well-being of Indigenous communities. Improving the health, safety, and well-being of Arctic inhabitants with a particular focus on Indigenous peoples needs to be put at the forefront of sustainable social development. (CBC News, Northern Housing Report, The New Humanitarian)
Extraordinary Heating in the Polar Regions is Alarming
As reported by Associated Press News on March 19, weather stations in the Arctic and Antarctica showed unprecedented high temperatures on Friday, with the staff at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado expressing concern over the temperatures considered very unusual for mid-March. In the Arctic, the recorded temperature was 3.3 degrees Celsius warmer than the average from 1979 to 2000. (Associated Press News)
Take 5: Rapidly rising temperatures at the poles are a serious warning of climate change that should not be ignored; such out-of-the-ordinary events may become more frequent as a result of the climate crisis. In 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that surface warming will be amplified in both poles. This could cause irreversible shifts in the Arctic environmental architecture, with dangerous consequences for the rest of the planet. The Arctic ice cover acts as a natural temperature regulator, preventing the overheating of the Earth by reflecting the sun’s rays.But due to the rapid melting of the ice cover, these functions will be limited. The melting Arctic will only intensify polluting industries such as maritime shipping and natural resource extraction. Despite warnings from the scientific community, some countries are not ready to abandon oil drilling, and current events are only causing a greater turn to Arctic extraction. For instance, Norway is planning to develop previously unexplored Arctic oil and gas fields, in order to support the decision of EU countries to reduce dependence on Russian energy sources. However, this will have an extremely negative impact on the local inhabitants and threaten habitat destruction. (Energy Monitor, The Guardian, The Guardian, The London Economic)