Pan Arctic Forum

The Economist published an article titled, “China wants to be a polar power”. The article reads in part as follows:

“WHEN the occupants of “Snowpanda House” in Ahtari zoo, Finland, were first allowed to play in the open air in mid-February, they bounded out and rolled in the white stuff. Xi Jinping, China’s president, had said the furry animals would act as “messengers of friendship” when he promised them to Finland during a visit last year en route to America. On the same trip Mr Xi used a refuelling stop in Alaska to butter up his hosts there, too. The American north was “a mythical, almost mystical place”, a local spokesperson quoted him as saying—a bit “like a Shangri-La”.

The Diplomat published an article titled, “China’s Arctic Ambitions in Alaska”. The article reads in part as follows:

“For signs of Beijing’s Arctic ambition, Washington need look no further than Alaska. After Chinese President Xi Jinping left the Mar-a-Lago summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in April 2017, he stopped in Alaska, not Silicon Valley, to talk business. Alaskan Governor Bill Walker pitched Xi on his state’s economic opportunities, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments. Before Trump’s trip to China a few months later, the White House announced multiple memoranda of understanding (MOU) between U.S. and Chinese oil and gas corporations, including the $43 billion Alaska LNG project. In the months since these presidential visits, the U.S.-China relationship — now on the precipice of a trade war — has grown tense. But in Alaska, deals are still moving forward.

From: Geopolitical Monitor | Opinion

By Jennifer Loy

The Arctic Ocean is one of the few places left unexplored on Earth.  Its vast frozen landmass and seas encompass all that is north of 66° 33’N, otherwise known as the Arctic Circle. It is bordered by the United States (Alaska), Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Iceland, and of course, Russia.  Outside of the littoral nations, Sweden and Finland are pertinent to the area and are also members of the Arctic Council created in 1996.

Policy Options published an article titled, “Arctic policy must embrace Indigenous knowledge and Arctic science”. The article reads in part as follows:

When the federal government announced the Canada C3 expedition last year, almost 5,000 people applied to sail through the Canadian Arctic via the Northwest Passage. But when the government announced it would develop a new Arctic Policy Framework, guiding federal activities on 40 percent of Canada’s land mass, few people noticed.

By replacing the existing Northern Strategy and Arctic Foreign Policy, the government hopes to chart a new course for the North, focusing on Arctic people instead of Arctic sovereignty. This commitment is needed because the people of northern Canada face many social challenges and are bearing the brunt of global warming.

Inside Climate News published an article titled, “The Most Important Climate Treaty You’ve Never Heard Of”. The article reads in part as follows:

“Raise a hand if you’ve heard of the Gothenburg Protocol.

“No? Well, you’re in good company. This treaty has been called an “unsung hero” in the fight against air pollution and climate change. It may be unknown in the United States, but it is a landmark international agreement, setting limits on how much black carbon and other pollutants countries can emit.

Although this theme focuses on small community preparedness, especially the EPPR project on Emergency Preparedness for Small Communities, PAME takes a wider view on preparedness for small communities in all marine activities.

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The McGill International Review published an article titled, “China’s Ambiguous Posture in the Arctic Region”. The article reads in part as follows:

KTOO Public Media published an article titled, “Murkowski taps two Juneauites for D.C. office”. The article reads in part as follows:

“Two Juneauites are among new additions to U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Washington D.C. office, a news release announced Friday.”

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