The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 4 March, 2024
Arctic Council Resumes Virtual Working Group Meetings
Eye on the Arctic reported on March 1 that after several months of negotiations, the Arctic Council will resume its working group meetings in the next three or four months in a virtual format. The Arctic Council’s operations have been almost entirely halted since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Council’s six working groups account for the majority of the work carried out by the body, and they focus on a wide range of Arctic issues, such as contaminants, emergency preparedness, and sustainable development. (Eye on the Arctic)
Take 1: The news of the Arctic Council agreeing to resume its working group meetings indicates the possibility of the organization finding ways to productively collaborate on Arctic issues, even in the changed security landscape. As all decisions are made by consensus, the Council’s operations have stagnated since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 due to political challenges in working with Russia. Thus, reaching a consensus on resuming the working groups’ activities for the first time is a major development and a potential sign of Russia’s willingness to engage with the West on Arctic cooperation, despite its recent remarks about considering leaving the organization. For Norway, which took over the organization’s rotating chairmanship from Russia last year, this consensus is a significant success indicating a possible path forward for Arctic cooperation despite the new challenges. While it is not possible to attempt to isolate the Arctic Council from the impacts of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the resumption of expert working groups signals willingness from both sides to cooperate on pressing Arctic issues. (Arctic Council, Arctic Council, Eye on the Arctic, High North News)
Joint Arctic Training of US and Canadian Troops Takes Place in Resolute Bay
As reported by Canada’s Department of National Defence on March 1, this year’s Operation Nanook-Nunalivut takes place between March 1 and 17 around Resolute Bay, Nunavut, and Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories. Approximately 300 Canadian Armed Forces members will work with about 50 service members from the US, Belgium, Germany, and France. Through the training, the participants will strengthen and demonstrate their ability to operate in the Arctic environment through exercises such as long-range patrols and under-ice diving. (Department of National Defence)
Take 2: Operation Nanook-Nunalivut is an annual military exercise organized by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) since 2007 in various areas of the Canadian Arctic, including Rankin Inlet, Tuktoyaktuk, and Inuvik. It fulfils an important training purpose, as it helps CAF members trained at military bases outside of the region familiarize themselves with the particular challenges of the Arctic environment and prepare for potential maritime, ground, or air operations in the High North. Canada controls about 25% of the Arctic, but with the changing security landscape and the increasing commercial maritime traffic due to retreating Arctic ice, the importance of Arctic preparedness is growing. Resolute Bay is Canada’s second-northernmost community and provides unique opportunities for community-supported military exercises in the High Arctic. The CAF will also train even further north, at the research station Eureka, which is only 1,000 km from the North Pole. This year, CAF members are joined by several Belgian, French, and German military divers, as well as by members of the US Army, Navy, and the Vermont, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Alaska National Guards. In addition to a training exercise, Operation Nanook-Nunalivut also serves to display Canada’s commitment to sovereignty in the Arctic and its preparedness for a broad range of potential security threats. It is a concrete step in fulfilling the strategic priorities set out in the 2019 Arctic and Northern Policy Framework. As the Operation highlights, sustaining such a commitment in the vast Arctic requires both international cooperation and ongoing engagement with local expertise and community support. (CKLB Radio, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Department of National Defence, US National Guard)
Largest Deposit Ever to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
High North News reported on March 1 that the largest seed deposit to date was made to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in February. The deposit of around 14,000 seeds comes from 23 depositors, nine of whom deposited seeds for the first time. The seed bank’s mission, aided by favourable and stable Arctic conditions, is to help preserve the diversity of the world’s crops to ensure food securityThe most recent deposits included food crops such as beans, barley, maize, and rice. (High North News)
Take 3: Since its establishment in 2008, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault has become the custodian of over 1.2 million seed copies from 77 countries, making it the world’s most diverse collection of food crops, including tree and forage seeds. It played an essential role between 2015 and 2019 when it helped re-establish seed collections destroyed during the war in Syria. The seed vault is managed jointly by the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the regional gene bank NordGen, and the Crop Trust. It also currently preserves copies of seeds held by 111 seed banks all over the world. Svalbard was chosen for the seed vault due to its advantageous Arctic location: the island has stable freezing temperatures (around -18 °C in the vault) while also being easily accessible by commercial flights. The vault, isolated by permafrost and placed deep in a thick layer of rock, is supposed to provide long-term storage for world agricultural plants so that they can be re-established if they disappear because of war, disease, or climate change. The nine first-time depositors—Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Zambia—highlight the truly global impact of the project. The depositors include universities, research institutes, but also the Cherokee Nation which deposited nine pre-colonial crops. Despite fears of the potential impacts of climate change on the safety of the building, the Svalbard Seed Vault is an essential resource in working towards global food security and maintaining crop biodiversity. (Crop Trust, High North News, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Reuters)
The Yukon to Spend 3 Years Remediating Abandoned Mine
The CBC reported on February 29 that Yukon’s territorial government has provided an update on the remediation of the former Minto mine site near Pelly Crossing. The government expects to spend three years remediating the former copper and gold mining site, which was abandoned by the now-defunct Minto Metals Corporation in May 2023. While there is a prospective buyer who may continue exploring the mining claims, the extensive remediation work—expected to be covered by funds previously provided by the corporation—remains necessary, irrespective of the potential sale. (CBC)
Take 4: Yukon’s government having to conduct an extensive mine remediation project illustrates the pressing long-term environmental and financial costs of Northern mining sites. Minto Metals closed the site without warning in May 2023, forcing the territorial government to take over the following day. The copper and gold mine was a major local employer but had struggled financially for some time, including owing royalties to the Selkirk First Nation as the mine is located on their land. Before the shutdown, the government had environmental concerns that the mine’s tailings storage was nearly at capacity, risking untreated water spills into Minto Creek and the Yukon River. The underground portion of the mine is now being allowed to flood naturally, the remaining low-grade ore will be deposited underwater this summer, and waste dumps will be covered. Approximately 76,000 kilograms of expired explosives will need to be safely destroyed. So far, remediation has been paid for from the $75.2 million security furnished by Minto, but it is unclear whether this will cover both costs and outstanding debts. The near-Arctic conditions of the site pose additional challenges, including requiring an ice bridge. Some viable ore reserves remain, so the mine could be reopened under a new owner. Nevertheless, the Minto remediation case emphasizes that while mining is often seen as an opportunity for employment and economic development for northern First Nations, mining companies can easily exit without any warning or regard for environmental and social impacts. (CBC, CBC, Yukon News)
Iditarod 2024 Underway in Alaska
As reported by Alaska Public Media on March 4, the 52nd Iditarod sled dog race has begun. After a ceremonial start in Anchorage, the mushers and their teams started in Willow on Sunday, March 3. The 38 mushers and over 600 sled dogs—the second lowest participation to date—will cover the 1,000-mile (1,609 km) distance to Nome, with the fastest teams arriving in as little as eight days. (Alaska Public Media)
Take 5: The Iditarod is an annual event eagerly anticipated by both mushers and fans. The race follows many trails historically used by Indigenous peoples such as the Iñupiat, the Yup’ik, or the Deg Hitʼan, and passes through the town of Iditarod itself (as well as other gold rush ghost towns). Sled dogs have worked alongside Arctic peoples for at least 10,000 years, but by the 1960s, had mostly been replaced by snowmobiles and airplanes. The race, founded in 1973, brings together mushing enthusiasts looking to challenge themselves in extreme conditions, such as the approximately 40% of mushers who are first-time participants this year, and serves as a reminder of the region’s gold rush history. It also boosts the local economy with many events and activities taking place alongside the race and tour companies offering dedicated package tours. However, the Iditarod and other sled dog races, such as the Yukon Quest, have been widely criticized by animal activists who point out that more than 150 dogs have died during the Iditarod, while hundreds more are pulled off the trail every year due to injury, illness, or exhaustion. At the same time, the Iditarod Trail Invitational, in which athletes trace the 1,000-mile route on bike, foot, or skis, has been gaining popularity. With only 38 mushers this year, 34 last year (the lowest numbers so far), and mounting concerns over dog welfare as well as a continuing drop in sponsors, Iditarod organizers may be forced to rethink the race. (Alaska Public Media, CBC, Washington Post, Travel Alaska)