The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 7 November, 2022
COP27 Report Predicts Disappearance of Arctic Summer Sea Ice is Inevitable
As reported by Reuters on November 7, the 2022 State of the Cryosphere Report was released by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI) at the start of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt this week. Reviewed and supported by over 60 leading cryosphere scientists, the annual reports provide an update on the latest cryosphere science. According to the 2022 edition, the polar regions are dramatically melting due to climate change, and by 2050, Arctic summer sea ice will ultimately vanish. Even if carbon dioxide emissions reach net zero, icy regions will not start to stabilize somewhere between 2040 and 2080, while glaciers are not expected to recover until 2200. (Reuters)
Take 1: The pace of Arctic warming is four times greater than the world average. Since the early 1980s, about three-quarters of summer sea ice has disappeared, and one-third of winter sea ice has been lost over the past 20 years. This has occurred mostly as a result of the melting of solid multi-year ice, replaced by thinner, summertime-only, ice. The severe loss of ice is a major cause of the rapid warming phenomenon known as Arctic amplification which has serious climatic, ecological, and economic repercussions. These include for instance the destruction of Indigenous peoples’ traditional ways of life, that depend on stable sea ice for fishing and hunting. For Arctic biodiversity and wildlife -from tiny creatures to large animals like polar bears- the effects will be disastrous. Continuous ice melting will also lead to the ecological degradation of the Arctic Ocean, which has not been seen free of ice in human history. The report shows that encountering ice-free conditions in the summer now ultimately seems to be inevitable. Even if we cut emissions now, the melting of the polar ice sheets has been set in motion for centuries to come. (IPCC, The Guardian)
SpaceX’s Starlink Continues to Expand Satellite High-Speed Internet in the Arctic
As reported by High North News on November 8, Starlink, a satellite internet access provider from the American aerospace company SpaceX, started to expand its services to high-latitude regions. By the first quarter of 2023, this expansion will extend high-speed internet coverage to greater areas of the European and North American Arctic. The provider will not cover the territories of Greenland and Russia, and SpaceX has not yet disclosed the start date for its service in these two regions. (High North News)
Take 2: Despite being a top focus for many Arctic countries’ development strategies, upgraded internet infrastructure still lags behind. Low-speed and expensive internet has been a problem for many socio-economic issues, especially in rural and isolated areas. The current communication system is perceived as a fragile structure, consisting mainly of vulnerable fiber optic cables. This fragility was illustrated, for instance, in Canada when a cable was unintentionally cut in northern British Columbia, disrupting internet, long-distance phone and television services in Northwest Territories and Yukon. Incidents like these make it clear that there is a significant need for satellite-based high-speed networks in the North. The British company OneWeb was one of the pioneers in deploying this type of communication in the Arctic and in 2021, it launched several satellites into orbit. Rival company SpaceX has also begun to expand its satellite network, supported with sophisticated laser technology. This feature can be considered crucial to establishing new connectivity in the High North, where the need for costly ground stations would be impracticable due to long distances and severe weather. On the one hand, satellite-based networks can significantly enhance high-latitude communications capabilities and advance remote areas’ economies, healthcare and educational systems. However, the push for Arctic broadband may also be utilized for other purposes, including military and strategic objectives. (Over the Circle, SpaceNews, The Verge)
COP27: Norway Pledges Commitment to Emission Reduction Policy
As reported by The Barents Observer on November 7, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced ahead of the COP27 climate summit that Norway will achieve at least 55% emission reductions by 2030. He emphasized that Norway should place a strong priority on climate and the nation’s contributions to emissions reduction. The belief that Norway could serve as a role model for other countries in terms of how major energy suppliers might lessen their carbon footprint was also expressed. (The Barents Observer)
Take 3: Despite such ambitious declarations, Norway’s current oil and gas policy is unlikely to facilitate an unhindered transition to emissions reductions and green energy. Norway’s energy sector extracts more fossil fuels today than it has in the past two decades. Gas production is at a historically high level. And maintaining a high daily output and investing in new areas of extraction on the continental shelf are two of the most crucial things Norway can perform to assist its European neighbors, at least according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. The European Union might further speed up Arctic extraction by signing new long-term gas contracts with Norway and unfolding further prospects for investing in fossils in Norway’s Arctic water. As for oil, Norwegian Equinor‘s Wisting project in the Barents Sea, one of the largest fields on the country’s continental shelf, is also on the agenda. If such projects are approved, this will be bad news not only for the distinctive Arctic ecosystem, but also for the global climate as a whole. Will Norway be able to maneuver between the urgent need to be the EU’s loyal energy provider and its commitment to global climate targets? (Dagens Næringsliv, High North News, The Barents Observer)
Greenland Experiences Massive Healthcare Professionals Shortage
As reported by High North News on November 8, Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, has three times more residents per doctor than Denmark. The statement was made by Christian Florian Sørensen, Chairman of the Greenland Medical Association, in an interview with the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq on November 5. (High North News)
Take 4: Healthcare remains a major challenge for Greenland’s communities, especially in smaller ones, due to a severe scarcity of qualified health professionals, recruiting issues, cultural barriers, and limited economic resources. About 56.700 people live in more than 70 settlements scattered over hundreds of kilometers of shoreline and unconnected by roads. One-third of the population lives in Nuuk, the capital, while several communities only have 50 people or fewer. Even though Greenland follows the Nordic welfare model with its robust social safety net, there are still obvious disparities. It appears that access to healthcare is far different for inhabitants living in small settlements compared to Nuuk and other towns. Back in 2008, a plan to reorganize the healthcare system was proposed,aimed at facilitating access to healthcare. A gradual realization of a public health program focused on medical education initiatives and recruitment has come into force since 2010. Telemedicine and eHealth were also implemented. However, problems persist. Increased funding from the government may be one solution, as well as initiatives to draw in experts, like those in Canadian Yukon, that provide incentives to encourage doctors to relocate. (Eye on the Arctic, Global Asia, ResearchGate)
Russia Sends Second-Ever Shipment of Crude Oil to China via Arctic Silk Road
As reported by Bloomberg on November 8, Russia has successfully achieved the second-ever passage of a crude oil tanker across the Arctic Circle, heading east toward China via the so-called Arctic Silk Road. Late in October, Vasily Dinkov, an ice-breaking tanker, set off from Murmansk in Russia. The route includes a 3.300-mile voyage across the high latitudes of Russia, and is scheduled to end in the Chinese port of Rizhao on November 17. (Bloomberg)
Take 5: The collection of Arctic sea routes known as the Polar Silk Road is being actively developed by Russia and China, and the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is its most crucial component. The two countries’ interests are aligned here as much as feasible, with the route presenting a potential for economic cooperation, primarily in Arctic oil and gas development. Moreover, it is the fastest maritime path from Europe to Asia: compared to conventional routes through the Suez Canal, the NSR is 30–40% shorter. The first crude shipment across the NSR was in 2019, and the second is now underway. Since Western sanctions on Russia are reorganizing the world’s energy supply lines, the country will benefit from using the Arctic to expeditiously transfer crude oil products to Asia. As global warming intensifies and sea ice disappears , the route will see greater commercial use. The NSR has already become accessible from August to October, the longest season yet. But it is futile to consider the route solely from an economic perspective. Its geopolitical and strategic position fit for military and other non-commercial purposes should be taken into account as well. (Nikkei Asia, The Arctic Institute)