scholarly journals Arktisk politik og regimedannelse i 2010'erne

Nordlit ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Nikolaj Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Final Section ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Outer Continental Shelf ◽  
National Authority ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Regime Formation ◽  
International Shipping ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Unclos

Recent developments have placed the High North on the international agenda. These include global warming, the prospects of major oil and gas finds, the opening of the Arctic Ocean to international shipping and the ongoing partition of its outer continental shelf between the five coastal states. In the so-called Ilulissat Declaration of 2008 these "Arctic Five" promised to play according to the UNCLOS rules and to shoulder their responsibility as coastal states. Despite this, the future may see both cooperation and conflict in the Arctic. The aim of the article is to discuss the possibilities of cooperative schemes, regimes, to regulate the problems which increasing shipping and extraction industries and fisheries may cause. First, a survey of future Arctic actors and fora is presented. While Arctic politics isstill dominated by the eight members of the Arctic Council, other actors, most clearly China, South Korea, Japan and the European Commission, are pressuring for influence. Furthermore, the Arctic Council is pressured by the "Arctic Five" and has reacted by establishing a secretariat and by adopting its first binding decision, anagreement on cooperation in search and rescue operations. Other relevant fora are the IMO, the WMO and UNCLOS. Next, an inventory of future "tasks" facing the Arctic nations is presented. They include defence tasks, sovereignty tasks, national authority tasks, and tasks, which can only (or best) be handled in regimes. Such regimes seem most needed with respect to international shipping. In the final section the discussion on possible regimes gets more concrete. Many tasks can best be handled by the IMO, but the Arctic Council, the WMO and UNCLOS have also roles to play. In particular, the five Arctic costal states have acrucial role as providers of specific regime services. Without their participation Arctic regime-formation is a non-starter,

Whither the Arctic? Conflict or cooperation in the circumpolar north

Polar Record ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oran R. Young
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Excellent Opportunity ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Circumpolar North ◽  
State Actors ◽  
Biophysical Changes

ABSTRACTBiophysical changes underway in the Arctic have stirred a remarkable surge of interest and concern in many quarters, including non-Arctic states and non-state actors. This article explores the implications of these developments for the pursuit of governance in the region. Many reactions to this situation are more alarmist than alarming. But recent developments do provide an excellent opportunity to reassess the effectiveness of existing arrangements and to enquire about the need for new forms of governance. The article does not support the claims of those who argue that a comprehensive, legally binding Arctic treaty (or even an Arctic Charter) is required at this time. Rather, it argues the case for a somewhat messier but more effective tripartite governance complex featuring an agreement to set aside without extinguishing claims to extended continental shelf jurisdiction on the part of the littoral states, an effort to adjust the character of the Arctic Council to meet emerging needs in the Arctic, and a push to devise issue-specific regulative regimes to address concerns involving shipping, fishing, and off-shore oil and gas development.

The Role of the Arctic Council from an International Law Perspective: Past, Present and Future

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 349-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinobu Takei
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Treaty Negotiations ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Law Making

Established in 1996, the Arctic Council has played an essential role in promoting pan- Arctic cooperation on various issues concerning the Arctic. Increasingly, its activities have contributed to the development of international law relating to the Arctic in terms of law-making and implementation. Recent developments make it pertinent to investigate the possibilities and challenges faced by the Arctic Council in developing legally binding instruments and otherwise contributing to the development of international law relating to the Arctic. How has the Council been engaged in activities that contribute to the development of international law? What factors have affected these activities? This article describes the structure of the Arctic Council and its status under international law; analyzes important developments relating to this issue in the period before the 2009 Ministerial Meeting held in Tromsø, Norway; examines the processes in which two legally binding instruments were negotiated and eventually adopted as well as elements common to these agreements; and discusses Arctic Council processes relevant to the development of international law other than treaty negotiations under its auspices.

scholarly journals Arctic Futures–Future Arctics?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9420
Author(s):  
Oran R. Young
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
The Future ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The One ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
Socioeconomic Consequences

Is the Arctic sufficiently distinctive and uniform to justify adopting a holistic perspective in thinking about the future of the region? Or do we need to acknowledge that the Arctic encompasses a number of different subregions whose futures may diverge more or less profoundly? In the aftermath of the Cold War, a view of the Arctic as a distinctive region with a policy agenda of its own arose in many quarters and played a prominent role in shaping initiatives such as the launching of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy in 1991 and the creation of the Arctic Council in 1996. Yet not everyone found this perspective persuasive at the time, and more recent developments have raised new questions about the usefulness of this perspective as a basis for thinking about the future of the Arctic. As a result, some observers take the view that we need to think more about future Arctics than about Arctic futures. Yet, today, climate change provides a central thread tying together multiple perspectives on the Arctic. The dramatic onset of climate change has turned the Arctic into the frontline with regard to the challenges of adapting to a changing biophysical setting. Ironically, the impacts of climate change also have increased the accessibility of massive reserves of hydrocarbons located in the Arctic, contributing to a feedback loop accelerating climate change. This means that the future of the Arctic will reflect the interplay between efforts to address the biophysical and socioeconomic consequences of climate change on the one hand and the influence of the driving forces underlying the political economy of energy development on the other.

Oceans Governance in the Arctic

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 531-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Angélique de La Fayette
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
National Jurisdiction ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Economic Developments

AbstractGlobal warming is bringing rapid change to the Arctic. The melting of sea ice and glaciers is increasing faster than scientists predicted even a year ago. Environmental change is forcing legal and economic developments, which in turn will have serious environmental and social consequences. However, the potential for conflict has been greatly exaggerated. The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC) has established the international legal regime governing the division of ocean space, sovereign rights over ocean resources, protection of the marine environment and the conduct of activities in and under the Arctic Ocean. Furthermore, a number of global environmental and maritime conventions apply to the Arctic. All the land territory, with its resources, is subject to national jurisdiction, as are the maritime zones proceeding seawards to the limits set out in the LOSC. While there is no multilateral political organisation with the power to regulate activities or to take legally binding decisions, there is a cooperative mechanism in the Arctic Council. Once all the maritime boundaries in the Arctic are delimited, the exploitation of resources can begin. However, first, precautionary measures should be adopted to ensure that the environment is protected as much as possible from increases in shipping and fishing as well as oil and gas development. This would require the elaboration of a regional seas agreement for the Arctic, incorporating elements of the Arctic Council, that reiterates the general principles in Part XII of the LOSC as well as those in the UN Fish Stocks Agreement, including the precautionary approach and the ecosystem approach.

Of whales and oil: Inuit resource governance and the Arctic Council

Polar Record ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Shadian
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Resource Governance ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

ABSTRACTThis article takes a normative approach to explore what and how we might learn from existing indigenous governance arrangements in the Arctic and how they may contribute to the larger debates over Arctic governance and who decides. It begins with a brief exploration of the existing literature regarding co-management; particularly what some legal scholars have defined as post-Westphalian resource management as well as engaging ongoing discussions about co-management as it pertains to the Arctic. It then turns to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) as a case study and possible starting point for governing newly emerging resource management issues in the Arctic. Specifically, this article will look at how the governance framework of the AEWC might be applicable for the current governance discussions regarding Arctic offshore oil and gas development. Lastly, this paper will offer preliminary reflections as to how a post-sovereign resource management approach could contribute to the broader theoretical debates concerning who owns the Arctic and who decides. Specifically it offers one possible way to envisage the future of a strengthened Arctic Council operating in a world where states are not the only actors participating in the governance of the Arctic.

scholarly journals Little Italy: Seeking a Niche in International Arctic Relations

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Lorna Johnstone ◽  
Federica Scarpa
Keyword(s):  
International Cooperation ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Foreign Affairs ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Intended Audience ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Little Italy

In December 2015, The Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation published Verso una strategia italiana per l‘artico (Towards an Italian Strategy for the Arctic). In this article, the authors explain and evaluate the document in light of Italy’s connections to and interests in the Arctic, the Kiruna rules for observers at the Arctic Council, and the Arctic policies of other observers. They conclude that the intended audience for Verso una strategia is the Arctic States. Therefore, the document emphasises relevant Italian scientific efforts and promotes Italy’s oil and gas industry while downplaying the rights of indigenous peoples and avoiding issues of controversy. Publication of the document as a work in progress indicates the ministry’s willingness to listen to feedback and adapt its approaches as it develops a more comprehensive and nuanced strategy.

Observer States’ Commitments to the Arctic Council: The Arctic Policy Documents of the United Kingdom and Germany as Case Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 375-397
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Śmieszek ◽  
Paula Kankaanpää
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Arctic Policy

The Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council in Kiruna, Sweden in May 2013 received unprecedented coverage in the worldwide media. The main reason behind that attention was triggered by the expected decision of the Council to grant observer status to applicants, including China and the European Union. However, not only countries and entities seeking access to the AC proceedings have been increasingly active in their approach towards the region. Also the ‘old’ observer states to the Council got spurred by recent developments and among them the United Kingdom and Germany were the first ones to set out their overall Arctic policies in fall 2013. This article looks at both documents to examine the vision for the Arctic that both countries bring and proposes to read the texts in light of the rules for observers’ participation in the Arctic Council, which were approved in Nuuk in 2011. It continues with setting them against a broader picture of the involvement of outside actors in the Arctic cooperation.

An Icelandic Perspective: Opening the Arctic Ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-140
Author(s):  
Ragnar Baldursson
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Final Section ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Globalized Economy ◽  
Arctic Shipping ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Cold War

This essay provides an Icelandic perspective on the opening of the Arctic Ocean. It provides an overview of the historic evolution of Arctic shipping divided into three distinct stages: The initial stage was driven by search for alternative shipping routes during the expansionist era of modern Europe. The Soviet stage was driven by Soviet strategic interests during the Cold War. The contemporary stage is driven by new technologies, resource development in the Arctic and tourism. A second section focuses on Iceland’s reaction to climate change linking it to Iceland’s role in the Arctic Council, and the need for action and adaptation. The final section connects the two first sections and highlights Iceland’s potential role in future trans-Arctic shipping. It heralds the beginning of the fourth stage of the evolution of Arctic shipping with the imminent opening of the Arctic Ocean for intercontinental shipping, This stage will be driven by the need for increased connectivity in a globalized economy, decreasing sea ice, capacity constraints of current shipping routes and security concerns

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