© Flickr DFAIT.maeci On March 29, Canada hosted a closed-door ministerial meeting in Chelsea, Quebec attended by the five Arctic littoral states. Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the U.S. came, having been invited by Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon. One of the biggest headlines in the run-up to the event, and now in its aftermath, however, […]
The Canadian federal government has signed an R&D agreement with the University of Calgary to develop a geoscience research center in Calgary dedicated to studying energy and the environment. Oil and gas, minerals, and sustainability issues will all be topics of study for the new research center. The laboratory will share space and equipment with […]
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev renewed calls for Russia to drill its Arctic resources in a speech to the Russian Security Council, a directorate of the Presidential Executive Office which writes briefs on national security issues. He said, according to AP, “Regrettably, we have seen attempts to limit Russia’s access to the exploration and development of […]
For anyone interested in the Arctic who is currently in the San Francisco Bay Area, tomorrow (Tuesday, March 23 at 6:00 PM), the World Affairs Council will be hosting a lecture on the future of the Arctic by geopolitical expert Charles Emmerson. He will discuss his new book, “The Future History of the Arctic,” published […]
Yesterday in Seattle, U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen announced a $62 million plan to refit the Polar Star, an old icebreaker. Originally commissioned in 1976, it’s one of the U.S.’ two Polar Class icebreakers. Russia, on the other hand, has 20 icebreakers. USCGC Polar Star can ram through 21 feet of ice, and one […]
SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, has just issued a report by Linda Jakobson arguing that China will seek to gain more of a role in the Arctic in the coming years, both politically and economically. The press release and the report, entitled “China and the High North prepare for an ice-free Arctic,” are […]
After decades of holding out from EU membership, Iceland finally decided to apply to the union last year. The global financial crisis severely wrecked tiny Iceland’s economy, and all three of its major banks collapsed. Seeking to stabilize its economy, the Icelandic government decided that the benefit of joining the Eurozone outweighed the risk of […]
Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon has announced that his country will host a conference on Arctic sovereignty on March 29 in Quebec. The purpose of the conference, which will take place right before the G8 summit in Muskoka, is to encourage a discussion on new methods of economic development and environmental protection in the Arctic. […]
The finance ministers of the G-7 have convened in Iqaluit, Nunavut, where temperatures are slightly below 0° F. That makes it the perfect place for the “fireside chats” Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty hopes to hold as part of a back to basics approach to discussing global finance. Issues like the European Union debt and […]
Today at the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø, Norway, Greenpeace called for a “moratorium on all industrial activities in areas historically covered by sea ice” in the Arctic. The conference covers the topic of ensuring the “sustainability of Arctic communities in a changing environment,” so it serves as a natural forum for Greenpeace to announce […]
In what would be a boon to the Russian economy, BP Chief Executive Tony Hayway announced that his company is interested in drilling for oil and gas in the Russian Arctic. BP is already one of the largest foreign investors in Russia, while operations there account for 20% of BP’s worldwide oil and gas production. […]
Michael Byers, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia and prominent researcher on the Arctic, has recently come out with a book entitled Who Owns the Arctic. This short, opinionated overview of Arctic issues encompasses a range of contentious topics such as sovereignty, which the title references. Perhaps of most importance […]
The CIA is restarting a mission squashed during the Bush administration’s early days: sharing satellite imagery of the Arctic ice cap with climate researchers. From 1992 to 2001, scientists involved with the Medea program (Measurements of Earth Data for Environmental Analysis), spearheaded by former Vice President Al Gore, tried to see if any classified intelligence […]
The small border between Norway and Russia all the way up in the high north has been Russia’s most stable border for the past 1,000 years. Now, that border may disappear, in a sense, as Norway and Russia consider doing away with visas for residents. Right before the annual meeting of the Confederation of Norwegian […]
A Canadian joint review panel has endorsed the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, which has been in the works for years — yet there are still many obstacles in its way. Estimated to cost $16.2-billion, the pipeline is supposed to transport natural gas from the Beaufort Sea to northern Alberta. But not all of Canada supports the […]