The Arctic This Week May 11 - 17, 2015  Photo: Malte Humpert, Bodø, Norway Welcome and thanks for joining us for a Reads of the Week edition this week! We hope that you find TATW interesting and entertaining to read. If you’re not a subscriber yet, you can sign up here. As always, all editorial choices, opinions and any mistakes are the authors’ own. Anything that we missed? Please feel free to share material with us if you think it deserves inclusion in TATW. READS OF THE WEEK THE POLITICAL SCENE World Policy Blog examines the challenges to cooperation in the Arctic. The author argues that “the future of the region largely depends on what issues the Arctic states…will emphasize…[and] will also depend on which approach they consider more pertinent: the need for international cooperation, the pursuance of national interests, or understanding the indivisibility of our planet’s future.” Environmental groups are arguing that the recently-passed Polar Code does not go far enough to protect the Arctic from various environmental threats posed by an increase in shipping (BBC). ENERGY The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved Shell’s exploration plan for drilling in the Chukchi Sea on May 11 (BOEM). Although Shell still must pass some additional regulatory steps before drilling can begin, the acquiescence of the BOEM was the last major step that Shell needed to overcome. Meanwhile, Seattle city officials joined environmentalists in attempting to stop Shell’s pre-Chukchi operations at the city’s port, though the company expects to continue with its preparations as reported in last week’s TATW (AD). In protest of the arrival of Shell’s Polar Pioneer rig, a group of “kayaktivists” took to water in Seattle (AD). Additionally, an interesting set of perspectives from Arctic experts on this issue was published by the New York Times this week and can be found here (NYT). SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE A study using DNA analysis on mammoths published on Tuesday inCurrent Biology discloses that mammoths died out on the Russian Wrangell Island, as it separated from the continent due to rising sea levels. It is suggested that inbreeding eventually led to the population decline (BO). MILITARY / SEARCH & RESCUE InPolitico, the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden and Swedish Ambassador to the United States have co-written an article calling for, among other things, increased awareness for the search and rescue challenges in the Arctic, and the need to increase investment in such capabilities and preparations for such contingencies. They argue that, “Arctic states need to plan and train for accidents and disasters…the Search and Rescue Agreement…has been put in place…[and] the U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council is an opportunity to exercise it and to identify best practices.” Writing inDefense News, Sherri Goodman, a former US Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, and retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral David Titley call upon the United States to snap out of what has thus been something of a stupor regarding its status as an Arctic nation, and begin making the necessary preparations and investments to protect its interests and take a leadership role in the region. The two authors argue for an increase in spending on science in the region, building up the miniscule U.S. icebreaker fleet, and preparing for the possibility of conflict with Russia in the region. MINING In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Alexander Shestakov, the Director of WWF’s Global Arctic Programme, writes that Arctic communities need to have more power over local economic development efforts. In particular, Shestakov uses the history of Arctic mining profits flowing out of the Arctic as an example of the lack of control northern communities have over their economic development. While he does not necessarily call for the abolishment of mining in the Arctic, Shestakov lays out a set of preconditions that would help indigenous communities and local stakeholders benefit from resource extraction. FISHERIES, SHIPPING AND OTHER BUSINESS NEWS The International Maritime Organization last week approved the last parts of the Polar Code, which will come into force in 2017. The regulations will prohibit the dumping of oil, oily waste or noxious materials into Arctic or Antarctic waters. Furthermore, they will regulate the types of vessels allowed to operate in polar waters (AD). However, some argue that there is a need for regulations guaranteeing better environmental protection and reducing the ships’ environmental impact (BBC). HEALTH, YOUTH, SOCIETY AND CULTURE A renewed push is being made to develop an “Inuit University” in Nunavut (G&M). According to a report released by Nunavut officials in April, the university would be based in Iqaluit and the mandatory curriculum would include courses on traditional Inuit knowledge, culture, and language. Other classes would be on topics like northern health issues, indigenous politics and governance, and fine arts, among others. Although some opportunities already exist for post-secondary education in Nunavut, such as the Nunavut Arctic College and The University of the Arctic, those institutions either offer degrees in conjunction with non-Arctic schools or through online courses. Of the eight circumpolar nations, only Canada lacks a local university in the High North, and the proposed Inuit university would fill that gap. The renewed momentum to fund an Inuit university is due in part to a conditional pledge of $5 million made by Agnico Eagle Mines back in April to support building a brick-and-mortar university in Nunavut (CBC). However, federal funding would also be necessary to help make the Inuit university vision into a reality. Abbreviation Key Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) Aftenbladet (AB) Alaska Business Monthly (ABM) Alaska Dispatch (AD) Alaska Journal of Commerce (AJC) Alaska Native News (ANN) Alaska Public Media (APM) Anchorage Daily News (ADN) Arctic Info (Russian) (AIR) Arctic Institute (TAI) Barents Nova (BN) Barents Observer (BO) Bristol Bay Times (BBT) BusinessWeek (BW) Canadian Mining Journal (CMJ) Christian Science Monitor (CSM) Eye on the Arctic (EOTA) Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (FNM) Financial Times (FT) Globe and Mail (G&M) Government of Canada (GOC) Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) Huffington Post (HP) Indian Country Today Media Network (ICTMN) Johnson’s Russia List (JRL) Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (KNR) Lapin Kansa (LK) Moscow Times (MT) National Geographic (NG) Natural Gas Europe (NGE) Naval Today (NT) New York Times (NYT) Northern Journal (NJ) Northern News Service Online (NNSO) Northern Public Affairs (NPA) Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) Nunatsiaq News (NN) Oil & Gas Journal (OGJ) Ottawa Citizen (OC) Petroleum News (PN) RIA Novosti (RIAN) Russia Beyond the Headlines (RBTH) Russia Today (RT) Voice of Russia (VOR) Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Washington Post (WP) Whitehorse Star (WS) Winnipeg Free Press (WFP) Yukon News (YN) |
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