The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of May 21, 2018
10-year Ilulissat Anniversary
On May 22-23, ministers and senior officials from the five coastal nations bordering the Arctic Ocean gathered in the coastal town of Ilulissat, Greenland. The states reaffirmed their support for the principles of the Ilulissat Declaration, which focused around legal regimes and jurisdictional disputes. The countries also discussed joint efforts for productive and peaceful cooperation. The two-day meeting between Norway, Russia, Denmark, Canada, and the United States comes at a time when these countries have other competing interests in different parts of the world (HNN, The Local Norway).
Take 1: It has been 10 years since the countries signed the Ilulissat Declaration. In 2008 the coastal Arctic states agreed to maintain the Arctic as a low-tension region where disputes are resolved peacefully. Now it is more important than ever to maintain this situation. The melting of Greenland’s ice sheets as a result of global warming has led to a race for potential riches in the region as new shipping routes has opened up and enabled exploration of untapped resources. Technology has also improved, and it has created new opportunities for navigating Arctic waters, extracting natural resources, and for economic development. It is clear that the Arctic region is facing growing uncertainty about the future, and it is therefore important for countries to maintain dialogue and cooperation in the Arctic. Yet, the Ilulissat declaration only includes coastal Arctic states and does not include Sweden, Finland, Iceland, or the indigenous people of the area. Even with representatives from these groups, failure to gain their full participation can potentially cause problems in the future as the area becomes more and more exploited (HNN, The Local Norway).
Science Transcends Borders
On May 11, 2017 at the last Arctic Council ministerial meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska the eight circumpolar countries signed an agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation. On Wednesday of this week the agreement went into effect with the goal of promoting scientific cooperation and allowing equipment and research samples to move easily across borders. The agreement is seen as a direct response to the challenges Russian scientists were facing in transporting equipment in and out of western countries. Likewise, Western scientists were facing restrictions in getting personnel and equipment in and out of Russia (The Independent Barents Observer).
Take 2: In times of increased tensions between the West and Russia, this agreement shows that in the realm of science, cooperation can and does exist. When it comes to Arctic research, the circumpolar countries benefit themselves the most when they can cooperate with one another. Facilitating the ease of transporting researchers and equipment through the various border countries allows for greater science cooperation as countries and indigenous populations continue to face the rising risks of climate change.
Putting a Halt to U.S. Arctic Drilling in Alaska
On May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the “Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act.” The act, if passed, would repeal a provision in the U.S. tax bill that mandates drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Alaska indigenous groups and conservation organizations applaud the bill, claiming that the addition of the arctic drilling provision in last year’s tax bill was not just short sighted but also undemocratic. This bill, introduced by members of the democratic party seeks to rectify the perceived mistake and prevent any future drilling (The Hill).
Take 3: The passing of the tax bill last year by the GOP controlled Congress is one of the party’s signature achievements. It is difficult to fathom that the GOP would allow this new bill, which eliminates one of their provisions, to pass both the House and the Senate. Even if the bill makes it to the President’s desk, there remains a high chance that President Trump would veto it as he has continually expressed support for drilling in the Arctic Refuge. YubaNet claims that Arctic Refuge drilling remains deeply unpopular, with more than two-thirds of Americans opposing it. If this is true, the democrats should make the “Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act” part of their platform for the November U.S Congress midterm elections. If democrats regain control of the House and the Senate the chances of passing this bill dramatically improve (YubaNet Fire News).
Summer Cleaning
Last week, the Russian Navy announced that it will send a 30-men platoon towards Kotelny Island to clean up 5,000 oil-drums that were used for fuel at the Arctic military bases in the years before the breakup of the Soviet Union. 300 tons of scrap metal will be collected, crushed and transported to the mainland for recycling, making it the fourth summer in a row that Russia is involved in such cleanup (Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, The Independent Barents Observer).
Take 4: So far, a total of 65,000 barrels from different Arctic bases along the Northern Sea Route have been collected and disposed. The cleanup is all part of the Russian Defense Ministry’s 2020 goal of cleaning up all Cold War sites that accumulated waste in the Arctic during Soviet times. The Arctic has had to face several environmental challenges over the years, most resulting from human activity. The region has seen petroleum exploration and exploitation, commercial fishing, and transport and dumping of radioactive waste. These activities have all put stress on the fragile Arctic environment affecting people and animals. Russia’s effort to clean up its past environmental waste in the Arctic reveals that the country views such efforts as part of its national interest (Mirror).
Welcome to Pleistocene Park
A group of scientists from both the U.S and Russia are attempting a project in northeastern Russia that seeks to slow the acceleration of permafrost melt in the Arctic. The project, called Pleistocene Park, is experimenting on reintroducing large herd animals such as bison into the Arctic regions. Large herd animals have the potential of promoting the development of grasslands, which not only reflect sunlight better than bushlands and forests but also sequester carbon dioxide at higher rates. Such animals also tramp down snow, increasing the chances of cold air penetrating the ground and keeping the permafrost frozen. The park hopes to show the viability of the concept and increase its scale in the future (The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner).
Take 5: Transporting bison from Alaska to the Russian Arctic is just one part of this ambitious plan. Another part of the plan consists of scientists in Harvard trying to create mammoth like elephants utilizing discovered DNA. Like bison, mammoth like elephants can potentially help to slow the loss of permafrost in the future while being adapted to colder climates. Finding new and creative ideas to help slow permafrost melt in the Arctic should be supported, yet this project seems farfetched, time and resource consuming. The park has been around since 1996 and has not introduced enough bison to make much of a difference. Resources should instead be invested in getting governments and populations to see and understand the negative effects of climate change (The Independent).