The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of April 29, 2019
The U.S. Continues to Refine an Arctic Policy
From April 27-May 3, senior U.S. military officials visited multiple locations across the Arctic to gain a better understanding of the operational challenges that exist in the region. The officials toured facilities in Norway, Finland, and Sweden, learning how its allies and partners operate in the region. The officials also learned more about the security issues that the region faces and how those issues affect U.S. allies and partners. The U.S. military officials were able to discuss future joint activities and other operations that are set to occur in the future. This visit comes at a time in which the U.S. is seeking to better refine its goals and strategy for the Arctic (Axios, U.S. Airforce News).
Take 1: Next week the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, will visit Finland and Greenland to discuss U.S. Arctic policy. It’s no coincidence that both the U.S Department of Defense and the State Department are visiting the Arctic at this time. The U.S. continues to refine an Arctic strategy that takes into consideration the changes that have occurred in the region the last decade. Resource extraction, shipping lanes, interest from non-Arctic countries, and a growing Russian presence all point to the Arctic becoming a vital sphere of influence.
The Increasing Cost of a Warm Arctic
A new study published on April 23 in Nature Communications concluded that a warming Arctic could end up costing the world nearly $70 trillion. This drastic cost is a result of climate “tipping elements” or feedbacks, changes in natural systems that cause further warming. The effects of these changes are not localized and can cause climate in other parts of the world to drastically change. Researchers explain that one feedback pushes another, and once started they are nearly impossible to stop. Arctic warming has reduced sea ice and exposed land, creating large areas that absorb heat. At the same time, thawing permafrost is releasing methane and carbon into the atmosphere. Countries in Africa, and generally in the global south are most likely to incur the highest costs (Eco-Business, National Geographic, Nature Communications).
Take 2: As of 2017, the Word Bank estimated that global GDP was approximately $80 trillion. The long-term negative effects of Arctic warming outweigh the short-term benefits of increased shipping lanes or resource extraction. The study, just like many in the past, continues to show that continual warming at current levels will not benefit countries or economies. Countries guided by their own self-interests must understand that it’s in their long-term economic and security interests to help reduce the factors that are causing global warming.
Ocean Full of Spies
On April 26 a tame beluga whale wearing a GoPro camera harness approached Norwegian fishermen off the coast of Ingoya. The harness had a label marking it as property of St. Petersburg. For two days the whale continued to approach the boat looking for food. The fishermen were able to remove the harness and the beluga remains under watch. Norwegian authorities believe that the whale is a Russian spy, used by the Russian Navy for Special Operations, and perhaps it escaped a training facility. Ingoya lies about 415km (258 miles) from Murmansk and is the headquarters of Russia’s Northern Fleet. Russia denies the claims (BBC, Live Science).
Take 3: At first this might seem like a joke, but militaries have tried to utilize dolphins and other aquatic animals for a variety of purposes before. In this case, scientists claim that neither Norwegian nor Russian researchers put harnesses on belugas. While Russia denied it had anything to do with the beluga whale, it admitted to using dolphins for combat roles. Further, Russian officials claimed that in Sevastopol (in Crimea) there is a center for training dolphins for military purposes. The Russians have also used beluga whales in the past. In the 1990s a beluga whale was captured off the coast of Turkey, having escaped the Russian training facility in Sevastopol. Beluga whales are extremely intelligent, calm, easily trainable, and well adapted to Arctic waters. Unfortunately, these traits make them the ideal pawns for secret underwater operations.
New Homes Needed in the Arctic
This week the founder of the Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Alaska, Jack Hébert, stated that housing designs imported from southern regions are not adequate enough to meet the needs of people living in the north. The current housing standards are not designed for the extreme climate and can result in severe health complications for their occupants. Jack Hébert notes that elders and children in Alaska have the highest incidence of upper respiratory distress of any population in the United States. The root cause is the moisture build up that occurs in these types of homes when there is poor insulation. The solution is to utilize better methods of insulation, such as drawing heat from the earth through a heat pump, storing the sun’s energy, and installing sensors that monitor energy efficiency (Net News Ledger, Reuters).
Take 4: Take Southern style houses were forced on native peoples by governments that subsidized their construction. The homes could be built cheaply and in large numbers. Yet, their lack of adequate insulation means that homeowners are spending way more on heating costs, and their cheap construction also means that the homes are just not safe to live in. Improving the quality of the home not only saves lives but also helps reduce long-term costs and reduce fuel usage as more heat can stay in the home. Native peoples know the types of houses that can thrive in the Arctic environment. It is time to listen and incorporate what has worked in the past to build better homes for the future.
Greenpeace Activists Invade Norwegian Oil Rig
On Monday, April 29, four Greenpeace activists climbed onto West Hercules, an oilrig that is set to drill in Norway’s northernmost well. The activists carried a banner that said “Stop Drilling in the Arctic.” They were there to protest new drilling in Arctic areas. The rig is currently anchored off the town of Hammerfest and is soon expected to move to its drill site in the Barents Sea once the proper permission is received. The police and local authorities were called to the scene and the activists were removed (Deutsche Welle, Reuters).
Take 5: Although not directly related, this protest comes at the time in which Greenpeace Norway and Nature and Youth plan their appeal for the January 2018 case. Both these groups had sued the Norwegian state for what they perceived was a violation of the country’s constitution, which states that everyone has the right to a healthy environment. The appeal will be held in November, and events like this can help continue to draw attention to their cause and this case. Still, the Norwegian government seems set on drilling further north, and unless there is a surprise ruling in November or large public outcry, there does not seem to be any chance that drilling will stop.