The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 28 November, 2022

Barents Secretariat Closes Its Doors in Russia

As reported by High North News on November 25, the Norwegian Barents Secretariat will be closing its offices in the Russian cities of Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, and Narjan-Mar in February of next year. In a press release, the Secretariat stated that Russia’s war against Ukraine has led to major limitations on cooperation activities, and the challenges have made it difficult to continue further operations. The Norwegian Barents Secretariat is a Norwegian government-funded center that works to promote Norwegian-Russian relations in the north, with its offices in Russia responsible for coordinating the Russian side of its cross-border cooperation projects. (High North News)

Take 1: Since the end of the Cold War, Norway and Russia have worked to strengthen their collaboration in the Arctic. Due to their close proximity and shared interests, the two countries have enhanced cooperation in many areas, including nuclear safety, scientific research, search and rescue, environmental protection, and law enforcement. However, Russia’s war in Ukraine has eroded the ties between the two countries that were built over the last 30 years. Formerly frequent interactions have since been reduced to urgent border issues, emergency missions, and fishery management. Moreover, important forums for dialogue, such as the Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, and the Arctic Coast Guard Forum, have all paused their activities. Russia’s actions have limited the channels for communication with Norway, and the Barents Secretariat joins numerous other institutions that have exited from Russia or suspended their operations. Yet, the Secretariat’s decision to close its Russian offices is particularly important because of its role in supporting cooperative projects. Organizations like the Barents Secretariat serve to promote people-to-people contact and build bridges across borders. Their work to remove cultural barriers and fund Norwegian-Russian projects facilitated deeper integration and created opportunities for further cooperation. Without these organizations and even minimal levels of cooperation, international collaboration may be difficult to restart in the future. (Norwegian Barents Secretariat, NPR News, Strategic Comments)

Canada Announces Funding for Indigenous Language Revitalization

As reported by CBC News on November 25, the Canadian government announced that it will provide $39.4 million in funding to support Indigenous language revitalization in the territories of Canada. At a press conference in Dettah, Northwest Territories, the government stated that $17.7 million of the federal funding will go to Nunavut, $14.7 million to the Yukon, and $6.9 million to the Northwest Territories. Recipients will include regional governments, community organizations, tribal councils, and several band offices. (CBC News)

Take 2: Language is a vital aspect of culture and identity, but the number of Indigenous people in Canada that can converse in an Indigenous language has continually declined. Canada’s colonial history and aggressive policies of assimilation continue to have lasting effects on the use, well-being, and development of Indigenous languages. In particular, Indigenous children forced into the residential school system were prohibited from practicing their customs and speaking their language. Assimilation efforts continued in the 1960s when Indigenous children were separated from their families and relocated to non-Indigenous communities. These policies severely eroded traditional cultures and weakened Indigenous languages, with many of them now endangered. Therefore, the resources provided by the federal government are critical to the revitalization of Indigenous languages. The funding enables Indigenous communities to lead the efforts to protect their language and invest in numerous programs, such as language courses in primary and secondary school. These programs, especially combined with other community initiatives like practicing with Elders and land-based education, can help preserve and grow Indigenous languages. With this announcement, the government has now invested more than $77 million to support Indigenous languages in the North since 2019, demonstrating its commitment to the welfare of Indigenous communities. (Frontiers in Education, Government of Canada, The Arctic Institute)

Cleanup of Radioactive Waste in the Arctic Paused

As reported by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on November 28, Russia’s plans to retrieve two sunken Soviet-era nuclear submarines and remove other radioactive waste in the Arctic have stalled due to its invasion of Ukraine. International sanctions and political tensions have hindered intergovernmental cooperation on retrieval and cleanup efforts as Russia lacks the equipment and technical expertise to lift the subs without foreign assistance. (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)

Take 3: The stalling of projects to retrieve radioactive materials is yet another consequence of Russia’s war in Ukraine that has severe implications for the Arctic. Radioactive contamination and the recovery of radioactive waste are long-standing issues for the Arctic region. Like many other countries, the Soviet Union had problems with the disposal of radioactive material, and much of this waste was simply discarded into the sea. However, the main sites of concern are two sunken nuclear submarines, K-27 and K-159, that sank with their nuclear reactors and spent uranium fuel. In addition to the two vessels, the Soviet Union also dumped three other submarine reactors and the spent uranium fuel from one of its nuclear-powered icebreakers into the Kara Sea near the military archipelago of Novaya Zemlya. According to the Institute for Safe Development of Nuclear Energy, these six objects contain more than 90% of all radioactivity in the region. Radiation leaking from these sites could threaten the Arctic environment, wildlife, and people. Although pollution levels from radioactivity in the Arctic are low, nuclear safety specialists have warned that it may be more difficult to recover the vessels the longer the projects are postponed. Moreover, large amounts of nuclear waste and pollution have also been stored in the ground, which could be released into the atmosphere as the permafrost thaws. Yet, mechanisms for cooperation, such as the Russian-Norwegian Commission on Nuclear Safety, have ceased since the invasion of Ukraine. As the danger from radioactive materials grows, countries may need to consider resuming nuclear safety cooperation, despite Russia’s actions. (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, earth.com, The Barents Observer)

Trawlers: Danger to the Arctic Seabed

As reported by The Barents Observer on November 25, Norwegian marine researchers discovered that large areas of the Arctic seabed have been damaged by trawlers. Using a remotely operated underwater vehicle, researchers from the Norwegian Marine Research Institute observed deep tracks made by fishing vessels pulling trawl bags across the seabed to catch shrimp and other species. In some of the most popular fishing grounds, such as those near Svalbard, over 52% of the area has been wounded from trawl bags. (The Barents Observer)

Take 4: Bottom trawling is a common practice in the fishing industry, where trawl bags consisting of heavy nets, large metal doors, and chains are dragged across the sea bed in an effort to catch fish. By dragging the trawl bags across the seabed, bottom trawling destroys the natural habitat, as evidenced by the deep tracks that the researcher’s observed. The practice tears up root systems and animal burrows, severely harming marine plants and wildlife that dwell on the seafloor. In addition to the immediate damage to the environment, trawling also lifts up bottom sediments, leading to reduced nutrient and light levels in the water. Less light harms ocean-dwelling plants, which form the basis of the Arctic food web. Thus, trawling has severe ecological consequences, including negative impacts on biodiversity and food security. Although an international agreement has banned commercial fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean, the agreement does not cover continental shelves where most fishing and trawling takes place. The findings from the marine researchers illustrate the seriousness of the issue, and as melting ice from rising temperatures opens more of the Arctic Ocean, fishing operations will likely intensify and cause further damage to the seabed. Arctic coastal states should consider strengthening measures to protect these vulnerable areas from bottom trawling and invest in conservation efforts. However, given the importance of fishing to Arctic economies, achieving these measures may be difficult. (Hakai Magazine, US Geological Survey)

More Militarization in the Arctic?

As reported by Arctic Today on November 30, Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated that the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO could accelerate the militarization of the Arctic. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova acknowledged that once the two countries join the alliance, Russia will be the only non-NATO member of the Arctic Council. The resulting militarization would further raise tensions in the region and heighten security risks. However, she also noted that the Arctic Council’s mandate explicitly excludes military security and that the pending NATO membership should not be linked to the Council. (Arctic Today)

Take 5: In recent years, there has been a significant increase in military activity in the Arctic region. Russia has modernized its military infrastructure, strengthened its Arctic capabilities, and invested in additional Arctic-based weapons systems, including hypersonic missiles, icebreakers, and submarines. At the same time, NATO has reinforced its operations and exercises in the region as well. Although tensions have been rising for some time, the statement from the Foreign Ministry is worrisome as it indicates that Russia may further militarize the region in response to the alliance’s expansion. Additional military activity will only continue to deteriorate the security environment in the High North and raise the potential for armed confrontation. Therefore, the Arctic states should establish mechanisms for dialogue to communicate about military matters, reduce tensions, and mitigate the risk of conflict. Yet, as the spokeswoman noted, the Arctic Council should not be the forum to discuss security affairs. The Council’s focus on environmental protection, scientific research, and the welfare of Indigenous communities has largely allowed it to continue cooperation, despite political turmoil. In contrast, military forums like the Arctic Chiefs of Defence ended after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Although the Arctic Council has been suspended, the importance of its environmental and development activities could help restart the forum. Thus, the announcement draws attention to the importance of more confidence-building measures in the Arctic without hindering opportunities to restore the operations of the Council. (Brookings, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Wilson Center)