FNI project: Geopolitics in the High North: Climate Change, Energy Development, and Environmental Protection

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Geopolitics in the High North: Climate Change, Energy Development, and Environmental Protection

This FNI sub-project contributes to several work packages in the international GeoPolitics in the High North research programme. One work package examines the adequacy of the Arctic institutional architecture in face of pressing environmental challenges concerning climate change, long-range transport of hazardous waste, nuclear safety and regional oil and gas development. Another work package looks at the geopolitical significance of the energy resources in the High North, while a third discusses law of the sea and ocean governance in the Arctic Ocean.

On the Climate Change and Environmental Protection work package:

Global environmental change affects the Arctic with particular force, notably with respect to temperature change and bioaccumulation of pollutants that pose severe health threats. The ‘Arctic eight’ include two pivotal states in global climate politics, the USA and Russia. Moreover, China has recently applied for observer status in the Arctic Council, today a major institution for pinpointing Arctic consequences of global warming and for generating Arctic premises in broader policy debates on mitigation and adaptation.

This work package examines the adequacy of the Arctic institutional architecture and its interplay with broader institutions as a means of dealing with pressing environmental challenges. These challenges concern
i) climate change;
ii) long-range transport of hazardous waste;
iii) regional oil and gas development; and
iv) nuclear safety.

The assessment rests on three pillars:

One is to examine the interests major actors have in the Arctic region within these four issue areas, with emphasis on Norway, Russia, the EU, and the USA, attending also to the industry and civil-society groups that participate in interest definition. What are the patterns of common and competing interests in these issue areas and to what extent, if any, do the recent and upcoming changes in Russian and US administrations affect such patterns?

A second pillar evaluates the problem-solving adequacy of the activities that regional Arctic institutions specialise in. At present, the focus of those institutions rests on knowledge generation, soft-norm promulgation and to some extent capacity enhancement.

The third pillar builds on the other two and clarifies the political room for, and desirability of, modifying the division of labour between Arctic international institutions and broader organisations and decision-making venues in the four issue areas. Among the issues is the question of whether the framework the Law of the Sea Convention offers for Arctic governance needs region-specific contributions, beyond the soft-law approach that the Arctic Council has opted for. Throughout the studies, implications for Norwegian interests are discussed.

On the The Power of Energy work package:

This work package looks at petroleum extraction in the High North, where volumes might rise substantially in the course of the next decades. At the same time, increasing demand for energy worldwide, especially in developing economies, and threats to the stability and security of existing supplies of energy, make exploration of Arctic energy resources important. In focus here is the geopolitical significance of the energy resources in the High North, FNI's contribution focuses on oil company strategies and developments in Russia.

For more information, se the GeoPolitics in the High North programme website, (maintained by the programme coordinator, the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies).

FNI project leader: Olav Schram Stokke

Project period: 2008-2012

Publications:

Stokke, Olav Schram, 'En indre sirkel i Arktisk Råd?' ('An Inner Circle in the Arctic Council?'), Nordlys, 28.04.2010. In Norwegian.

Stokke, Olav Schram, 'Protecting the Arctic Environment: The Interplay of Global and Regional Regimes'. The Yearbook of Polar Law, Vol 1, 2009, pp. 349-370.

Moe, Arild, 'So Far the EU has Neither Arctic Territory Nor a Clear Role' (comments to article by Alyson Bailes)', Europe's World, 22 June 2009.

Stokke, Olav Schram, 'Arctic Environmental Governance: Are New Regimes Needed?', The Circle, No 1, 1 April 2009.

Many more publications at the GeoPolitics in the High North programme website.

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