The Arctic This Week October 19 - October 25, 2015  courtesy of Karsten Bidstrup Welcome and thanks for joining us 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. TAI’s RECENT ACTIVITIES Have you already seen this year’s Arctic Yearbook? Our friends at the Northern Research Forum and the University of the Arctic Thematic Network (TN) on Geopolitics and Security launched their 2015-version last week during the Arctic Circle Assembly. You can read and download all of the content at www.arcticyearbook.com. Particularly interested in the European Union’s ‘quest for Arctic policy coherence’? If so, check out the Arctic Yearbook’s Briefing Note on ‘Exploring Reasons & Remedies for the EU’s Incapability to Devise an “Arctic Policy”’ by Adam Stepien (Arctic Centre, University of Lapland) and TAI’s own Andreas Raspotnik. THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES Microplastics in Arctic Ocean confirmed Two recently published studies examine the presence of microplastics in the Arctic Ocean. The research conducted by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) was published in the journalPolar Biologyand found evidence that plastic litter is floating on the surface of the Arctic Ocean, though it is still unclear how the waste got there. However, its presence is believed to affect local marine wildlife and has already been found in the stomachs of seabirds and Greenland sharks (Phys.org). Scientists from the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics in Italy published their study in the journalNature Scientific Reportsand confirmed the worrisome findings (AD). US Interior cancelling offshore Arctic leases On the heels of Royal Dutch Shell’s decision to halt Arctic drilling off the Alaskan coast, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced on 16 October that the US government is canceling all future offshore lease sales and will not extend current leases in Alaska's Chukchi and Beaufort seas (ABC). The announcement takes two offshore Arctic lease sales off the table, one in 2016 and one 2017. Of the current leases that will not be extended, those in the Beaufort Sea are set to expire in 2017 followed by those in the Chukchi Sea in 2020 (Offshore Technology). In addition, the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement also denied requests from Shell and Statoil to suspend their existing leases in the region, which would have extended the leases beyond their initial 10-year lifespans (PN, FuelFix). The latest decision reportedly stems in part from Shell’s newfound lack of interest in exploring the region (Reuters). However, some observers are speculating that Shell foresaw the Interior’s ruling and its decision to pull out of the Arctic weeks ago was actually a case of “you can’t fire me because I already quit” (Clean Technica). In response to the Interior’s announcement, the American Petroleum Institute issued a statement blasting the Obama administration’s decision to cancel the 2016 and 2017 Arctic oil lease sales (API). Meanwhile, environmental activists are insisting that the anti-Arctic energy exploitation campaign isn’t over yet and are urging other supporters to keep up the pressure on oil companies and government regulators (ThinkProgress). The Government of Nunavut has officially declared a suicide crisis Nunavut has a suicide rate that is more than 10 percent higher than the national Canadian average, which has led territory’s Premier to declare suicide not only as a crisis but also as a public health emergency (EOTA). In a territory where almost every family is affected in some way by suicide, many welcomed the declaration as the first of many steps in dealing with the issue (CBC). Liberals Defeat Harper in Canadian Election Canadian Liberal leader Justin Trudeau “rode a late surge to a stunning majority election victory…toppling Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives with a promise of change and returning a touch of glamor, youth, and charisma to Ottawa.” Trudeau has promised to invest in infrastructure and “help stimulate Canada’s anemic economic growth,” as well as working to repair relations with the U.S. Obama administration and reducing Canada’s role in combatting the rise of ISIS (Reuters). As far as how Trudeau won,CBC has an excellent breakdown of the polling numbers (whileAD also notes that Trudeau overwhelmingly won in Canada’s North), but given the surprise nature of his victory, pundits are now left scrambling to guess how the Liberal victory might affect the energy sector (PN) and relations with Russia (Sputnik). THE POLITICAL SCENE United States Arctic Council Concludes 1st Meeting Under US Chairmanship (AK Public Media). North America Defaults the Great Game in the Arctic (Indrastra). Russia Europe A Scramble for the Arctic (BBC Newshour). People Live In The Arctic, And Maybe This Is News (Grapevine). Asia Japan released Arctic policy at the Arctic Circle (Arctic-Info). ENERGY Goliat project delayed Contrary to reports recently cited here in TATW, Italian oil firm Eni’s massive offshore Goliat project in the Norwegian Arctic is no longer scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2015 (AJ). Amid delays and spiraling costs, the summer of 2016 is now being targeted as the new prospective start date. Norway At last week’s Arctic Circle Conference, the CEO of the Faroese power company SEV announced his company’s goal is to make the Faroe Islands 100% oil-independent by 2030 (NORA). Russia Is Russia The King Of Arctic Oil By Default? (Oil Price). United States Alaska Public Media published two installments in an excellent multi-part explainer on the Alaska LNG Project, also known as AKLNG. (Part 1, Part 2) (APM) Miscellaneous SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE Air pollution as (temporary) climate change mitigation The main drivers of the Arctic’s rapid sea ice decline are believed to be rising ocean and air temperatures caused by human greenhouse gas emissions. However, a new study (Geophysical Research Letters) found that the aerosols making up air pollution that reflect sunlight could slow down global warming and delay the disappearance of Arctic sea ice for a few years (Scientific American). Melissa Cronin discusses whether that means we should use aerosol particles, which are not only bad for human health, but can also exacerbate the effect of other pollutants. (Motherboard). Earth sciences, climate and weather Scientists discuss climate change at the Penn State Symposium on the Arctic (Daily Collegian). Wildlife and ecology Environmental management Expeditions & research blogs Arctic Explorers Uncover (and Eat) 60-Year-Old Food Stash (Smithsonian). Research and university news Archaeology and history MILITARY / SEARCH & RESCUE Coast Guard Agreement In Works A8 nations are meeting to create the Arctic Coast Guard Forum, a group the USCG describes as “an operationally focused organization that strengthens maritime co-operation and co-ordination in the Arctic,” and will aim to “sign a historic deal…for their coast guards to work together in the treacherous and increasingly accessible waters of the North” (CTV News,Navy Times). Under the deal - which was originally expected to have been signed well over a year ago but was delayed due to tensions between the Harper and Putin governments - “the new forum will…provide a venue for high-ranking officers from different countries to meet regularly and open channels of communication…[and] also puts meat on the bones of the 2011 treaty on Arctic search and rescue, negotiated through the Arctic Council. That committed signatories to providing search and rescue in their sector of the North” (Times Colonist). Russia Arctic rescue center opened in Murmansk (Arctic-Info). MINING Kivalliq announces uranium find in Nunavut Kivalliq Energy Corp. announced a promising new uranium discovery located at its Dipole site on the company’s Angilak property in Nunavut (CMJ, PN). Canada Russia United States FISHERIES, SHIPPING AND OTHER BUSINESS NEWS Fisheries Shipping Russia will break the ice (HNN, in Norwegian). The emergence of Arctic shipping: issues, threats, costs, and risk-mitigating strategies of the Polar Code (Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs). Aviation Norwegian orders 19 more Dreamliners (The Local). Expanding travellers’ horizons (Iceland) (AJ). Tourism Sami tourism in 1966 (NRK, in Norwegian). Other business and economic news U.S. & Canada Russia Nordics Norway aims to reduce food waste (NORA). Oulu: Japan’s gateway to Arctic technology (Finland Times). HEALTH, YOUTH, SOCIETY AND CULTURE Scientists test the effects of white nights on health In a recent test from Petrozavodsk State University, scientists have found that when all other elements remain the same, rats showed higher levels of obesity when exposed to white nights in the summer and night illuminations in the winter as opposed to constant darkness or light (UArctic). Health Experts claim that the low life expectancy in Greenland is a stark contrast to the high expectancy rates in Denmark. Greenland’s life expectancy is low due to both high smoking and suicide rates, making it more comparable to countries such as China and Turkey (NORA). Trading Posts Brought Tuberculosis to Quebec Arctic: Genetic Study (Alaska Highway News). Youth Arctic Council Officials took the time to engage with youth in Alaska; listening to debates as well as answering questions that the students deemed important. The discussions ranged from topics such as consensus decision-making in the Arctic Council to the potential damage thawing permafrost can have on pipelines (AD). Society Volunteers are running from the North Pole to Paris to get people talking about Climate Change. The campaign, called Pole to Paris, is designed to help connect every day people with the science behind Climate Change. The Pole to Paris flag has already traveled almost 2,000km and is currently in the United Kingdom (HP). GWENT Auctioneer Plans Second Arctic Adventure After Completing 350-Mile Ultra Marathon (South Wales Argus). The 'High' North (AJ). Greenland is Getting Greener (ABN, in Danish) Culture A London gallery is holding an interactive exhibit influenced by Sámi culture and lands. The exhibit strives to display the Sámi culture as a part of contemporary life and furthermore as a contrast to the examples of Sámi culture usually found in anthropological museums in the UK (EOTA). Caledon Artist Cory Trepanier Finishes Off Decade Long 'Into the Arctic' Expedition (Caledon Enterprise). A Red-Letter Day (AJ). Off the Map Debuts Northern Light Festival in Swedish Lapland (Travel Weekly). INFRASTRUCTURE Europe Arctic 2015: Transport network integration most pressing task (Iceland Monitor). United States Abbreviation Key Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) Aftenbladet (AB) Alaska Business Monthly (ABM) Alaska Dispatch News (AD) Alaska Journal of Commerce (AJOC) Alaska Native News (ANN) Alaska Public Media (APM) 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 (NM) 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) Maritime Executive (MarEx) Moscow Times (MT) National Geographic (NG) Natural Gas Europe (NGE) Naval Today (NT) New York Times (NYT) NORA Region Trends (NORA) Northern Journal (NORJ) 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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The Arctic This Week October 19 - October 25, 2015
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