Pan Arctic Forum

The Daily News- Miner posted an article titled, “The indigenous Arctic: We are the edge.” The article reads in part as follows;

“Alaska just experienced the third consecutive hottest year on record. Because we are warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, Arctic sea ice is also melting faster than expected, causing an increase to sea-level rise. Our elders, with a skill base of traditional knowledge, hand in hand with conservation practices dating back thousands of years, witnessed these changes and began forecasting potential impacts back in the late 1960s. When communicated to scientists and policy shapers, their words landed as if they were dust or blown snow.

The Arctic Journal published a press release titled, “Exploring common solutions – Finland stresses its Arctic expertise during the Finnish Chairmanship of the Arctic Council.” The article reads in part as follows;

“Finland’s goals for its Chairmanship of the Arctic Council are to promote cooperation and emphasise Finland’s Arctic expertise. The priorities in Finland’s programme for the Chairmanship include environmental protection, meteorological cooperation, connectivity, and education in the Arctic.

Finland’s chairmanship programme aims to promote Arctic cooperation especially in the fields of environmental protection, meteorology, connectivity, and education. The Paris Agreement on climate change and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development guide the Council’s work. Finland continues the Arctic Council’s long-term goals of promoting climate change work and sustainable development.

Thin Ice Blog published an article titled, “Scoring the Arctic Council.” The article reads in part as follows;

“The Arctic Council provides direction in the form of Ministerial decisions, policy recommendations, guidelines, framework plans, and binding agreements. It is then imperative that the Arctic states put this direction into practice to deliver good governance. This first WWF Arctic Council Conservation Scorecard looks at the extent to which Arctic States have implemented Arctic Council direction nationally, and whether the Arctic Council has delivered agreed-upon commitments through its own work. Since WWF focuses its work on conservation, that is the direction analyzed here.

The Washington Post posted an article titled, “Trump, reversing Obama, will push to expand drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic.” The article reads in part as follows;

“President Trump will take a major step Friday to expand oil and gas drilling off U.S. shores, directing the Interior Department to lift restrictions that President Barack Obama imposed in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. But local political considerations and the global energy market are likely to influence future exploration far more than an executive order in Washington.

Newsminer.com published an article titled, “Arctic Council heads to Fairbanks with spirit of cooperation.” The article reads in part as follows;

“Tensions may be heating up between the United States and Russia, but not when it comes to the Arctic and that could be a huge boon for scientists working in the Arctic and Alaska.

Despite the ups and downs between the U.S. and Russia, relations have stayed steady and collaborative through the Arctic Council, which is set to hold its major biennial meeting in Fairbanks next month.

Washington Post   April 27 2017

President Trump will take a major step Friday to expand oil and gas drilling off U.S. shores, directing the Interior Department to lift restrictions that President Barack Obama imposed in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. But local political considerations and the global energy market are likely to influence future exploration far more than an executive order in Washington.

Several industry officials and experts predict that oil and gas firms will bid on areas the administration plans to open to drilling, including those off the East Coast. But the targeted Arctic areas are much less attractive to investors right now, and even potential drilling in the Atlantic could be complicated by long-standing resistance from coastal communities.

Center for International Maritime Security published an article titled, “Science Diplomacy in the Arctic.” The article reads in part as follows;

“As icecaps melt and access to natural gas and oil reserves increase, the Arctic rises in importance on the geopolitical stage. In addition to the various groups of indigenous people who reside in the Arctic, eight countries Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Canada, and the United States have claimed interest in the Arctic. Diplomacy between the different groups is required for cooperation and organization in the complicated region. Due to its importance in environmental security, sizable natural resource reserves, and remote location, the Arctic incentivizes cooperation through science diplomacy.

World Policy Blog published an article titled, “How the Arctic Council Sets the Tone for International Cooperation.” The article reads in part as follows;

“This week, Arctic Yearbook managing editor Joël Plouffe interviews Camille Escudé, a Ph.D. candidate in international relations at Sciences Po-CERI, France, and author of “The Strength of Flexibility: The Arctic Council in the Arctic Norm-Setting Process.” Escudé explores the central role of the Arctic Council in Arctic norm setting by examining the instruments of and documents produced under the Council, international agreements, and scholarly work on the Council in regional and international affairs. Her findings are also based on a series of interviews with members and Working Groups of the Council, as well as individuals working at the Council’s Secretariat in Tromsø.   

The Arctic Journal posted an article titled, “Government outlined measures for implementing arctic policy.” The article reads in part as follows;

“The Government has outlined measures for implementing Finnish arctic policy. Finland will reinforce its foreign and EU policy in the Arctic region, utilise its Arctic know-how, promote sustainable tourism and support transport and other infrastructure projects in the region. The objectives are included in the action plan for the updated Finnish Arctic Strategy adopted by the Government last week.

The Independent Barents Observer published an article titled, “Norway, Finland talk Arctic with China.” The article reads in part as follows;

“While Finland for years has cooperated closely with the Asian superpower on a number of key issues, the Norwegian state visit to China marks the start of a new era in bilateral relations.

The high level meetings were the first of their kind following six years of political stalemate between the countries.

Norwegian PM Erna Solberg had meetings with key Chinese decision makers, among them both President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang. The visit also included meetings on foreign ministry level and trade and economic cooperation.