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2018 | Buch

Arctic Summer College Yearbook

An Interdisciplinary Look into Arctic Sustainable Development

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This book highlights both the diversity of perspectives and approaches to Arctic research and the inherent interdisciplinary nature of studying and understanding this incomparable region. The chapters are divided into four liberally-defined sections to provide space for dynamic interpretation and dialogue in search of sustainable solutions to the issues facing the Arctic. From governance to technology, scientific research to social systems, human health to economic development, the authors discuss fundamental questions while looking toward the Arctic’s future. Whether the reader is well-versed in the history and complexity of Arctic policy or looking for an insightful introduction to the vast world of Arctic research, everyone will find answers that lead to new questions and even more discoveries in these pages, laying the foundation for tomorrow’s discussion on the future of the Arctic.

The Arctic’s unique geographic and political characteristics pose questions for the international community, indigenous peoples, and economic interests not easily answered through traditional concepts. To that end, the Arctic Summer College has been engaging leading professionals, students, scholars, and policy makers from across the globe to exchange ideas and support further investigation into the Arctic. A joint venture between Ecologic Institute US and Ecologic Institute Berlin (Germany), the College participates at the annual Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland, and continues to be at the forefront of international collaboration in this critical area of economic, political, environmental, and humanitarian development.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
Imagining the Arctic
Abstract
The majority of Earth’s population will likely never set foot in the Arctic, yet most can imagine a basic geographic identity for the region. The dominant Arctic narratives work because they build off of our own accepted human-environment and socio-political relationships. This paper explores two narratives that help construct the mainstream Arctic identity in North America and the more nuanced narratives that are overlooked because of them. The narrative of a “new” ocean in the Arctic erases a long indigenous history of the region, but is easily adopted because of American definitions of wilderness that imagine a space devoid of humans. Drawing lines on a map creates regional identity but excludes other stakeholders from the Arctic discussion who do not fall within those geographic bounds. As the dialogue of the Arctic identity continues to evolve, it is imperative that we recognize these social constructs when entering onto the Arctic stage.
Supriti Jaya Ghosh
From Consultation to Consent: A Comparative Analysis of Arctic States
Abstract
The resource development industry can be a major economic driver in Northern regions, as projects have the potential to provide infrastructure, employment, and strengthened cultural resources for northern Indigenous communities. At their worst, however, resource development projects have the ability to erode cultural practices, threaten traditional livelihoods, and disregard Indigenous rights. In order to support and respect Indigenous rights, Arctic states have various legal frameworks at national and regional levels that outline the requirements for Indigenous consultation when decisions are being made that may affect Indigenous land rights or livelihoods. However, an examination of the legal frameworks and policies of Arctic states with significant Indigenous populations and resource extraction industries reveals that the scope and definition of Indigenous consultations range broadly from state to state, effectively weakening the protection of Indigenous rights. Part IV of this paper outlines the benefits of consultations that adhere to the principles of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) as an achievable standard between the resource development sector and Indigenous groups, and provides numerous best practices and guidelines that can be applied in Arctic states to ensure that projects affecting Indigenous rights and traditional lands practice strong social governance through Indigenous participation.
Sarah-Grace Ross
The Arctic as a Region of Innovation
Abstract
Innovation and entrepreneurship are prominent buzzwords in the modern lexicon, reflective of the knowledge economy in which we now dwell. While the possibilities in a world of big data, robotics, and the Internet of everything seem endless, they do indeed have limits. Cities, it has become routine to point out, are the harbingers of innovation and attract creative people who develop and apply the new technologies our economy now depends upon. But where does that leave those in rural, remote, and off-grid communities? Can regions such as the Arctic be places where new technologies are more readily adapted or even developed?
This chapter will briefly outline the challenges to innovation and entrepreneurialism in the Arctic. These include not only inherent barriers such as remoteness and a lack of economy of scale, but also structural barriers including a lack of STEM education opportunities, culture, the dominance of the public sector, and regulatory impediments. At least one solution is to approach Arctic innovation at a regional level and jointly develop solutions to common problems.
Heather Exner-Pirot
Inclusive and Lateral Environmental Governance: Exploring Theoretical and Practical Capacity for Networked Environmental Governance in the Russian Arctic
Abstract
Issues of ‘conflict and cooperation’ are still poignant in the Arctic discourse showing how weak the bond is between Arctic states, which, in turn, begs the question of what the future should hold for environmental governance in the Arctic region. The paper explores theoretical and practical potential for lateralisation of Arctic governance in the Russian context through horizontal networks between people and companies of the Arctic and the means that would be required to scale up the impact of such informal groupings.
Nadia French
Maritime Passages of the Future
Abstract
Significant diminishment of the Arctic ice cap is propelling the advent of a new, blue water ocean and, with it, new commercial and economic opportunities. Abundant natural and mineral resources, as well as rich fishing stocks, encourage Arctic and non-Arctic nations to explore these resources through the enhanced use of Arctic maritime transportation routes which seek to connect geographically distant economies more directly. As a result, the evolving commercial dynamics of international Arctic shipping – both destinational and trans-shipment – are beginning to change. Once considered dangerous and non-commercial, Arctic shipping routes such as the Northern Sea Route (NSR) are increasingly scrutinized as potential economical alternatives to some of the world’s most popular maritime passages.
While nations like Russia are ambitious in their desire to see the Northern Sea Route become a “Suez of the North,” the United States has taken a more tempered approach to the region’s development, focusing on environmental protection. Although some maritime experts question whether the Northern Sea Route, and by extension the Bering Strait, will ever become a viable international maritime passage, a slow yet steady increase in global demand for natural, mineral, and fisheries resources will likely see the Northern Sea Route and Bering Strait experience a consistent increase in maritime traffic. Therefore, it is both a policy imperative and an opportune moment to construct the necessary infrastructure to improve readiness and domain awareness in the Bering Strait, to safely accommodate a likely increase in maritime traffic, and to strengthen U.S.-Russian cooperation in the Arctic.
Heather A. Conley, Matthew Melino
Arctic Council Scorecards – Monitoring Arctic Policy Transfer
Abstract
The transfer of knowledge is a key challenge for research institutes and can be addressed in several ways. For instance, the Arctic Summer College exemplifies Ecologic Institute’s efforts to bring different perspectives on Arctic issues together and foster the exchange of knowledge between different professions, bridging gaps between natural and social sciences. In other projects, it is necessary to inform policy makers with conclusions and recommendations based on scientific findings, improving the transfer of knowledge from science to policy.
The Arctic Council Scorecards project that Ecologic Institute conducted for and with the WWF International Arctic Programme between summer 2016 and spring 2017, takes a different approach: It takes a first step to monitor the transfer from international Arctic policies to national policies. The Arctic Council Scorecards and their methodology are published by WWF International Arctic Programme. (See WWF, The Arctic, website, http://​wwf.​panda.​org/​what_​we_​do/​where_​we_​work/​arctic)
While this chapter cannot go into detail about each of the scorecards, it provides an overview of the aim and scope of the exercise. It then describes challenges that were identified during the research and reflects on some of the key findings. It also points towards remaining gaps and provides ideas for future additions to the scorecards.
Arne Riedel
South Korea and the Arctic Region
Abstract
The Arctic today is characterized by a complex set of economic, political, and societal dynamics connecting actors both within and outside of the region. South Korea is sometimes referred to as a ‘latecomer’ to the arena of Arctic affairs. Nevertheless, it has made great strides in the past 15 years to make up for this ‘deficiency’. It opened an Arctic research station and established an Arctic scientific research program, constructed its own icebreaker, became an observer to the Arctic Council, and built an extensive bilateral network with Arctic states. Moreover, South Korea became the first Asian nation to publish an Arctic policy master plan. The country has several domestic actors with interests in the Arctic region such as the central and provincial governments, academics, and the private sector. As such, this paper examines South Korea’s activities and interests in the Arctic region. Further, it looks at the placement of the Arctic region within South Korea’s foreign policy, especially its ‘Eurasia Initiative’, and the specific roles the country could play in the Arctic governance structure.
Martin Kossa
The Arctic Digital Divide
Abstract
The Arctic is an isolated and sparsely populated region subject to harsh weather conditions—particularly the North American Arctic. These characteristics make it a unique and beautiful place, but also materially hinder the installation of telecommunications infrastructure, resulting in the Arctic Digital Divide: the relative deficiency in telecommunications services available to those in the Arctic compared to communities further south. The Divide hinders the lives and opportunities of Arctic residents. This chapter outlines the Arctic Digital Divide, how it came about, why it matters, and coming changes.
Andreas Kuersten
Arctic Freshwater – A Commons Requires Open Science
Abstract
The Arctic freshwater cycle is intensifying, i.e. more freshwater moves through the system as precipitation, evapotranspiration, and river discharge increase. These changes affect Arctic ecosystems, landscapes, and human society, and create feedbacks to the ocean and the atmosphere. Robust future projections of the Arctic freshwater cycle are needed to inform strategies of adaptation and water resource management in northern communities and industries. But forecasts are highly unreliable due to data uncertainty and knowledge gaps. Open access data has the potential to overcome some of the knowledge gaps and reduce data uncertainty with regard to Arctic freshwater systems. This paper provides a review of existing open access data repositories, networks, and products of hydrological variables. Best practice examples are coordinated observation networks such as Fluxnet or the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost that maintain long-term monitoring stations and make data freely available. However, much of Arctic hydrological data remains locked away. There is a large amount of hidden data to manifold our understanding of the Arctic freshwater cycle by integrating data and studies across the Arctic. The Arctic science community shows very progressive institutional data policies and infrastructure that favor an open data culture. Nevertheless, existing tools such as data journals have not been used to their full potential. Continuous effort is required from both institutions and individual scientists to enforce open access data, ensure high metadata quality, and enable a fair and open communication between public and private Arctic stakeholders and academic science.
Sina Muster
Human Dimension for Effective Climate Action: Synergies Between Traditional Ecological and Hydro Meteorological Scientific Knowledge in the Arctic and Beyond
Abstract
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is intrinsically linked with traditional local communities and their ways and conditions of living. The social learning dimension offered by TEK seems to be largely overlooked. TEK places climate action in context and makes it more tangible for the general public. Building on synergies between traditional ecological and hydro meteorological scientific knowledge contributes to building capacity and improving adaptive coping strategies at the local level. This can make a valuable contribution to enhancing robustness of adaptation efforts, devising collaborative and resilient management, and enabling reduction of vulnerability in the Arctic and beyond.
Olga Krylova
Contemporary Circumpolar Health Issues and Innovative Responses in the Anthropocene
Abstract
Health in the Arctic is not a new concern due to the region’s remoteness and historic inequities in health service provision and access to health care particularly for Indigenous populations, but it is also an issue severely exacerbated today by the effects of climate change. Communities in circumpolar regions have distinct health needs, but they also face shared challenges related to water quality, species and biodiversity loss, sea rise, increased non-communicable and infectious diseases, and food security, all of which are directly or indirectly impacted by climate change. This chapter surveys contemporary health issues in the Arctic and explores innovative responses to health challenges for populations in the Arctic in Canada, Greenland (Denmark), and the United States, including a Pan-Arctic Inuit health collaboration between Canada and the US. It concludes with a non-exhaustive resource list of academic and medical programs related to Arctic health and wellbeing and Circumpolar Health and related networks.
Carol Devine
Local Initiatives to Reduce the Incidence of Sexual Assault in the North
Abstract
Sexual assault rates in Alaska and northern Canada far exceed their respective national rates. Multiple historical and current conditions are thought to contribute to sexual violence in the far north, including a culture of silence that discourages victims from speaking out and inhibits communities from establishing healthier norms. This article examines a number of local initiatives to reduce the incidence of sexual assault. Local leadership, coordinated community response among service providers, and outside funding and programmatic support are key characteristics of these promising programs. Such locally initiated programs offer a model of local self-determination as northern communities face various challenges in the twenty-first century.
Mary F. Ehrlander
Metadaten
Titel
Arctic Summer College Yearbook
herausgegeben von
Brendan O'Donnell
Max Gruenig
Arne Riedel
Copyright-Jahr
2018
Electronic ISBN
978-3-319-66459-0
Print ISBN
978-3-319-66458-3
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66459-0