The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 13 February, 2023

Environmental Activists Disrupt Logging Operations in Lapland

As reported by Eye on the Arctic on February 13, a group of environmental activists have prevented logging operations on lands administered by the state-owned forest management organisation Metsähallitus. The site is located near the Aalistunturi Nature Reserve, which has been proposed for expansion. The protestors, from the Forest Movement Metsäliike are demanding that Metsähallitus halt the logging until conservation proposals have been processed by the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. Representatives from Metsähallitus estimate each day of disruption results in a loss of 15,000 euros. The Forest Movement Metsäliike is a consortium of activists from various environmentalist groups including Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion, and the Finnish Nature League. (Eye on the Arctic)

Take 1: The latest activist demonstration at the fell follows previous attempts to block logging in the area since Metsähallitus first began thinning 400 hectares on the south side of Aalistunturi in early January 2023. Activists argue that logging fragments the area and erodes the basis of the national park expansion. Moreover, even though the area is marked on maps as an economic forest, it has been allowed to return to a natural state and logging is occurring in places of biodiverse flora. The demonstration at Aalistunturi inspires broader reflection on the use of Finland’s forests. In line with UN Climate Convention goals, Finland has committed to protecting some 30% of its land area as well as halting the loss of biodiversity and turning the trend towards recovery by 2035. However, emissions from the land use and forestry sector have meant that Finnish forests have turned into a source of carbon emissions rather than a carbon sink. Under the EU Land Use and Forestry regulation for 2021-2030, the collapse of Finland’s carbon sink could result in an EU fine between 2 and 7 billion euros. The Finnish Government also faces legal action by environmental organisations in the first climate litigation in Finland, for creating a situation where the government’s climate policy plans are insufficient for meeting targets enshrined in Finland’s Climate Act legislation. (Greenpeace, Helsinki Times, Metsähallitus, Pledge Times, Yle News)

Unidentified Flying Objects Shot Down over Alaska and the Yukon

As reported by BBC News on February 13, an unidentified aerial object was shot down over northern Alaska by NORAD late last week, with a similar object shot down over the Yukon the following day. US and Canadian Defence officials are still working to recover remnants of the objects, but the search has been hindered by Arctic weather conditions. Speculation over the objects has increased in recent days, but government officials have yet to confirm their origin or purpose. (BBC News)

Take 2: The incidents of unknown aerial objects in the North American Arctic appear to be part of a spate of high-altitude objects entering American and Canadian airspace this month, with two other objects also shot down further south. Public speculation over whether the objects were part of the Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon program has been dismissed by US President Joe Biden in his latest press conference on February 16. Whilst the event has troubled diplomatic relations between the US and China, it has also been an effective demonstration of The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)’s value. NORAD is a binational organisation, born from Canadian and American Cold War fears of Soviet Union bombers on the North American Arctic coast. However, what first began as collaboration on air defence and radar installations has evolved to address more contemporary security concerns. NORAD is now charged with missions of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning. Although plans to modernise NORAD’s surveillance system were already announced in June 2022, these recent events suggest there is likely to be a greater incentive to move forward with the planned investment. (BBC News, CNN, High North News, NPR, The Conversation)

Alarming Levels of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Ice Around Svalbard Pose New Risk to Arctic Wildlife

As reported by The Guardian on February 11, a new study published in Science of the Total Environment detected 26 types of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in ice core samples taken from Svalbard, Norway. Finding that PFAS are easily transported through water as it melts from snow and ice, the study concluded that seasonal snowmelt and glacial runoff could be a significant source of PFAs to downstream ecosystems. Also known as ‘forever chemicals,’ PFAS refer to a large group of toxic industrial chemical compounds which do not degrade easily in the environment. (The Guardian)

Take 3: The unprecedented mobility of PFAs in the Arctic environment could have alarming seasonal repercussions for the health of downstream ecosystems. With their ability to easily enter the food chain, PFAS have been linked repeatedly to liver damage and decreased fertility in mammals. This is particularly worrisome in the case of Svalbard, which already has five indigenous marine mammals listed on the IUCN Vulnerable and Endangered Red List of Threatened Species. Pressure on vulnerable Arctic ecosystems is likely to worsen given the volume and duration of seasonal glacial runoff, and snowmelt is rising in correlation with the warming temperatures in the Barents region. However, the best method to eliminate harmful chemical pollutants is difficult to determine. In 1987, the Montreal Protocol was signed to ban the new production and use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) due to their damaging effects on the ozone layer. However, CFCs were replaced by hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which, while safe for the ozone layer, act as potent greenhouse gases that can also break down into trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in the environment, a different compound with unknown long-term effects. Limited scientific understanding of the toxicity of TFA means it is uncertain how much damage these compounds may be currently causing the environment. Similarly, bans on the use of some PFAS have been introduced, but many remain on the market and new PFAS are regularly introduced. Therefore, the accumulation of PFAS in remote Arctic environments suggests a wider ban on PFAS may be a necessary future step. (ENDS Report, Phys.org, Scientific Reports, The Conversation)

Prospective Swedish and Finnish NATO Membership Increases Norway’s Geopolitical Significance

As reported by High North News on February 14, The Norwegian Intelligence Service presented their annual threat assessment, Fokus 2023. The assessment outlines the increasing pressure on Norwegian Arctic security as Russia becomes an unpredictable neighbour following the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the application of Finland and Sweden to NATO. At a conference on Monday 13, the Intelligence Service predicted that Norwegian maritime areas, territories, and infrastructure will have greater geopolitical significance for Russia as NATO expands into the Baltic Sea region. (High North News)

Take 4: Expanding NATO membership to Finland and Sweden will almost double NATO’s border with Russia, adding roughly 800 miles of frontier and vastly expanding NATO’s presence in the Baltic Sea and Arctic Circle. Norway’s geographic position means it would be central in the resupply of allied reinforcements to Sweden and Finland in the event of a conflict. Whilst this may cause some pressure for Norwegian security, there are several benefits to the inclusion of Finland and Sweden within NATO. The Finnish Defence Forces can muster 280,000 troops within one month and the Finnish artillery units are the largest in Europe. Sweden also has littoral, air combat, and undersea warfare capabilities that would be a considerable addition to NATO’s deterrent and defence toolkit. In the long-term, a greater NATO presence in the Arctic may balance well against Russia’s heavy investment in Arctic commercial and military infrastructure. Membership of all Arctic states, except Russia, will also support a more coherent strategy for the region. (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, CFR, Defence News, NRK, Rand)

Canadian Northwest Territories Renew Indigenous Counselling Training Program

As reported by CBC News on February 14, the Northern Indigenous Counselling Program has been renewed for a second semester. The partnership with Rhodes Wellness College is designed to give participants a professional counsellor diploma, a wellness counsellor diploma and certification as a life coach, and saw the graduation of 15 people from 10 Northern communities in May 2022. The creators of the initiative, the Dene Wellness Warriors healing group, hope the course will fill a gap in service for Indigenous Peoples seeking counselling for residential school trauma. (CBC News)

Take 5: The aftermath of the Canadian residential school system can be seen in the various forms of intergenerational trauma prevalent in Indigenous communities today. A suicide and mental health crisis, and ongoing substance abuse issues, are some of the societal problems facing Indigenous communities in the Canadian Arctic. Significantly, there were few culturally relevant services to address these issues in the Northwest Territories. As a result, the Dene Wellness Warriors designed a course that would allow graduates to qualify as Indigenous Services Canada-approved counsellors. The program teaches western approaches to therapy, but has been adapted to meet the specific needs of Indigenous counselling students. Students are also expected to be one year sober and undergo experience of the therapeutic techniques on the curriculum. Given the impact of Covid-19 on global mental health statistics and the disruption to mental health services, a community-based program that provides culturally sensitive and immediate benefit appears increasingly necessary. Whilst the organisers of the program do not intend to run the program for a third cohort of students, it is hoped that it may inspire similar programs in other Arctic provinces. (CBC News, Eye on the Arctic, The Guardian, The Polar Connection, WHO)