The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 22 January, 2024
New Subsea Fibre Cables to be Laid to Svalbard and Jan Mayen
As High North News reported on January 19, the state-owned company Space Norway is preparing to build a new subsea fibre optic cable to Svalbard. While the project still needs to be approved by Parliament, the company intends to have the cable in place by 2028. The Norwegian Armed Forces have also asked Space Norway to lay a high-speed fibre cable to the island of Jan Mayen. If established, Jan Mayen would be connected with the mainland by a fibre cable for the first time. (High North News)
Take 1: The news that Norway is working to improve,in the case of Svalbard, or establish,in the case of Jan Mayen, its subsea fibre optic cable connections between its Arctic islands and the mainland points to the importance of communication security in the Arctic. While Jan Mayen currently has no fibre cable connection, Svalbard has been connected with mainland Norway by two cables since 2004. These cables run about 1,400 kilometres from Longyearbyen to Harstad, and provide internet connection as well as other communications. In January 2022, one of the cables was damaged, and this event highlighted the vulnerability of the Svalbard communication system and the urgent need for redundancies and thorough contingency plans. The involvement of the armed forces and the fact that it is the Norwegian state—rather than private companies—taking on the responsibility of building new fibre optic infrastructure further highlights the strategic importance of Arctic communications. Regardless of whether the January 2022 fibre cable damage was caused by human activity or by natural causes, it has drawn attention to Svalbard’s vulnerability, especially in light of its unique geopolitical importance and its proximity to Russia. In addition to providing communication to Svalbard’s residents, the cables provide essential connectivity to the Svalbard Satellite Station, which is indispensable to researchers and satellite owners due to its extreme northern location. Thus, communications security is an important element of Arctic preparedness, for civilians and the military. (High North News, High North News, Space News)
Nunavut Gains Full Control of Its Mineral Resources for the First Time
As reported by Reuters on January 20, Canada’s northernmost territory of Nunavut has been granted control of its mineral resources, including gold, diamonds, iron, and cobalt, as well as rare earth minerals. The devolution agreement, signed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Nunavut’s Premier P.J. Akeeagok, and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk, formally transferred natural resource rights and responsibilities from the federal government to Nunavut’s territorial government. Nunavut is the last Canadian territory to sign such an agreement. (Reuters)
Take 2: Nunavut’s now-complete access to the prospective profits of its rich mineral reserves is exciting news for the region that has been negotiating for them ever since it became an independent territory in 1999. Canada’s other two territories—the Northwest Territories and the Yukon—signed devolution agreements in 2014 and 2003, respectively, and are now in full control of their land and water management, which includes decisions about resource extraction. Nunavut is an enormous area with increasing geopolitical significance. With climate change and the resulting melting of sea ice, companies are increasingly interested in using the Northwest Passage for shipping. According to Prime Minister Trudeau, this agreement is the “largest land transfer in Canada’s history,” as Nunavut’s government gains control of over 2 million square kilometres of their public land and waters. The territorial government and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. are likely to face challenges, as they will need to balance sustainable development with demand for increased mining exploration. Business projects in Nunavut face unique challenges—particularly related to the housing crisis and the almost complete lack of infrastructure in most of the territory—which makes any development much more expensive than elsewhere in Canada. Due to these factors, many have raised concerns that most investment tends to concentrate in the territory’s capital, Iqaluit, without benefiting most Inuit. Now that Nunavut has obtained rights and responsibilities from the federal government, the territorial government will need to address these concerns to ensure that all communities benefit from full sovereignty over land and water management. (Eye on the Arctic, Eye on the Arctic, Polar Journal, Reuters)
Russia’s New Nuclear Icebreaker to be Named Leningrad
The Barents Observer reported on January 22 that Russia’s newest nuclear-powered icebreaker will be named Leningrad, rather than Sakhalin as was originally planned. Leningrad was the Soviet name for the city of St. Petersburg. The keel-laying ceremony is scheduled for January 26, during the anniversary celebrations of the end of the WWII siege of Leningrad. (The Barents Observer)
Take 3: The renaming of Sakhalin to Leningrad points to a continuing and increasing trend of Russia relating itself to its Soviet past, particularly so in its Arctic presence. This is the second time a ship in Russia’s new 22220-class line of nuclear icebreakers has been renamed in keeping with a Soviet theme. Last fall, another icebreaker’s name was changed from Kamchatka to Stalingrad. Ships originally named after areas in the Arctic are now to be named after notorious Soviet dictators who perpetrated mass killings and persecuted large swaths of the population. Russia’s nuclear icebreakers are essential in keeping Arctic ports and shipping lanes clear, and the first three ships of the 22220-class line are currently in operation. Russia’s icebreaker fleet (both nuclear and non-nuclear) numbers more than 40 vessels, the largest of any other country. The fact that production of the new icebreaker class is ongoing, and that Russia remains the only country committed to operating a nuclear-powered icebreaker fleet, emphasizes the importance Russia places on the Arctic region and its year-round accessibility to Russian waters. This is especially true for the Northern Sea Route, where Russia’s ability to capitalize on the opportunities of the passage depends on its ability to control and maintain access to the route. In addition to prioritizing the Arctic as an area of future economic opportunities, Russia views the region as a “staging ground to project power.” This power is clearly symbolized by choosing to align its Arctic image with Lenin and Stalin’s reigns. (Center for Strategic & International Studies, Eye on the Arctic, The Barents Observer, The Barents Observer)
Denmark Allocates $400 Million for Drone Surveillance in the Arctic
Reuters reported on January 19 that Denmark has set aside 2.74 billion Danish crowns (approximately 400 million USD) to support surveillance in the Arctic and the North Atlantic with long-range drones. This investment is part of a broader agreement in which Denmark has already pledged to invest 143 billion crowns in defense over 10 years. Denmark is responsible for the defense of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both of which are located in the High North. (Reuters)
Take 4: The news of increasing Danish investment in Arctic surveillance comes at a time of increasing civilian and military activity in the region. NATO also has a greater awareness of potential security threats in the region after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Denmark has pledged to invest heavily in defense over the next decade and to prioritize better compliance with NATO’s goals. This drone surveillance project is part of a larger Danish pledge announced last week to build up the country’s Arctic capability. Denmark promised 16 billion crowns in total, which in addition to the long-range drones, will also restart an ammunition factory and fund a new air warning radar in the Faroe Islands. By announcing these investments, Denmark is signalling its resolve to take more responsibility for security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, particularly in the so-called GIUK gap. This refers to the strategically important stretches of ocean between Greenland and Iceland, and between Iceland and the United Kingdom (GIUK), that separate the Norwegian and North Seas from the North Atlantic. The gap includes the Faroe Islands, and the new radar located at Sornfelli mountain on Streymoy will surveil the airspace between Norway, Iceland, and the UK. The defense agreement was drafted with the involvement of the Greenlandic and Faroese governments, but Denmark will need to make sure it coordinates its commitments to NATO with local priorities in Greenland and the Faroe Islands, as it is these self-governing territories that are most immediately exposed to potential Arctic threats. (Center for a New American Security, High North News, High North News, Reuters)
Inuit Aim for More Involvement in Shipping at International Maritime Negotiations
Eye on the Arctic reported on January 23 that the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) sent a delegation to this week’s meeting of the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC) International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London. During the sessions, the ICC announced its strategy for more Inuit involvement in the IMO. Specifically, they asked for greater incorporation of Indigenous knowledge into IMO’s operation, a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry by 2030, and a greater focus on protection of the Arctic environment (such as a reduction in underwater noise pollution, as is being discussed at the current meeting), as well as full consultative status by 2025. The SDC, one of several IMO sub-committees, considers a wide range of technical and operational matters related to ship design and construction and typically meets on an annual basis. (Eye on the Arctic)
Take 5: The ICC’s presence at the meeting of the SDC, and their clear strategy for addressing Inuit priorities throughout the IMO, show the importance of non-state actors in Arctic negotiations. It is particularly important that the Inuit, who are the stewards of immense areas of land and water in the Arctic, play a meaningful part in international negotiations and are represented in negotiating bodies. The ICC represents approximately 180,000 Inuit living in today’s Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Russia. While the organization has held consultative status with the United Nations since 1983, it has had limited access to other important international bodies, such as the IMO. In November 2021, the ICC became the first and only Indigenous Peoples Organization to gain provisional consultative status at the IMO. Access to such negotiating bodies is essential for Inuit around the circumpolar North to be included in the shipping industry and to ensure that Inuit knowledge and stewardship practices are incorporated into international policies. Underwater noise in particular has become a growing concern in Inuit communities, as it has been reported to impact marine animals like whales, narwhals, and Arctic cod—all species that form the basis of Inuit lifeways. The number of ships in the Arctic has been steadily rising with ship traffic increasing by as much as 25% between 2013 and 2019, and underwater noise reportedly doubling in the same period. As a result, environmental concerns in Inuit Nunangat (Inuit homelands) must be at the forefront of international maritime negotiations, with Inuit representatives fully involved in decision-making. (Arctic Council, Eye on the Arctic, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Nunatsiaq News, The Guardian)