The Interconnected Arctic — UArctic Congress 2016

303 Pages·2017·12.4 MB·English

by  Kirsi Latola

Springer Polar Sciences
Kirsi Latola
Hannele Savela
Editors
The Inter-
connected
Arctic
UArctic Congress 2016
Springer Polar Sciences
Series editor
James Ford, Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Québec,
Canada
Springer Polar Sciences
Springer Polar Sciences is an interdisciplinary book series that is dedicated to
research on the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions and Antarctic. The series aims to
present a broad platform that will include both the sciences and humanities and to
facilitate exchange of knowledge between the various polar science communities.
Topics and perspectives will be broad and will include but not be limited to
climate change impacts, environmental change, polar ecology, governance, health,
economics, indigenous populations, tourism and resource extraction activities.
Books published in the series will have ready appeal to scientists, students and
policy makers.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/15180
Kirsi Latola • Hannele Savela
Editors
The Interconnected Arctic —
UArctic Congress 2016
Editors
Kirsi Latola Hannele Savela
Thule Institute, University of Oulu Thule Institute, University of Oulu
Oulu, Finland Oulu, Finland
ISSN 2510-0475 ISSN 2510-0483 (electronic)
Springer Polar Sciences
ISBN 978-3-319-57531-5 ISBN 978-3-319-57532-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57532-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017940985
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Foreword
In September 2016, Saint Petersburg State University hosted the first ever UArctic
Congress. It gathered nearly 500 scientists, experts, students, and leaders from the
Circumpolar North over 5 days in 50 sessions. In addition to consuming 5000 cups
of coffee, the participants focused on the following key issues:
• The vulnerability of Arctic environments;
• The vulnerability of Arctic societies;
• Local and traditional knowledge;
• Building long-term human capacity;
• New markets the Arctic, including trade, tourism, and transportation.
In addition, the congress included the UArctic Rectors’ Forum, the Council of
UArctic meeting, the UArctic Student Forum, the UArctic Board of Governors
meeting, as well as other organizational events. The congress documented the value
of bringing together leading circumpolar scientists from the UArctic Thematic
Networks and beyond, with UArctic’s leadership and members. This book brings
together selected papers from the Science section, the centerpiece of the UArctic
Congress 2016.
The University of the Arctic
The UArctic, through cooperation within its very powerful network of over 170 orga-
nizations, has demonstrated its ability to deliver multidisciplinary education and
research over the past 16 years. This bears great promise for the future of the Arctic
and the world. Collaboration through the UArctic helps our members create science-
based knowledge on issues crucial for Arctic development which is beneficial for
Arctic inhabitants, relevant for the rest of the world, and environmentally, sociocul-
turally, and economically sustainable. The UArctic, through its Thematic Networks
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vi Foreword
and Institutes, can advise decision-makers in policy-making and industry in Arctic
economic development to achieve the “triple bottom line” of sustainability:
• The UArctic provides the infrastructure for international science, technology,
engineering, art, and mathematics education cooperation, citizen empowerment,
and capacity building relevant for the Arctic and the world.
• The UArctic Thematic Networks and Institutes provide a strong basis for shared
curriculum and science-based education initiatives, as well as issue-based
research collaboration prepared to act on present and emerging needs in and
about the Arctic.
• The UArctic represents an operationally unique multilateral infrastructure to
enable student and faculty mobility and internships both within and to the Arctic
that can be further expanded to meet present and emerging needs.
• The UArctic ensures the best use of present-day and future investments in higher
education and research institutions through international collaboration that ben-
efit the Arctic and the world.
• The UArctic was created based on the initiative of the Arctic Council 20 years
ago. Today, the UArctic together with the International Arctic Science Committee
(IASC) and International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) consti-
tutes the three organizations representing Arctic science in the Arctic Council.
The North Matters
The Arctic has changed, and that does influence the rest of the world. In a place
where fast and widespread climate change is happening in front of our very eyes,
perceiving what we see and acting upon it is a tough task that requires local action
but even more international cooperation as the root causes are rarely in the North.
Catching up with the myriad of changes to natural, social and political systems is a
joint responsibility that rests on all of our shoulders – not only on the northerners’.
The UArctic takes a proactive role in promoting a holistic understanding in
Arctic research, including the value of traditional knowledge. Actors in the Arctic
region have taken the global lead in promoting the understanding of and respect for
northern peoples and their knowledge in Arctic science over the last decade. The
UArctic, with its strong commitment to the North and northern perspectives, will
continue to be a driver in this for years to come.
The Arctic knowledge map still has many white spots, and it does make a differ-
ence what kind of knowledge is used when decisions influencing the future of the
North are made. Building relevant knowledge and ensuring that northerners are
central in this process are core values for the UArctic. The paper by Ulunnguaq
Markussen at the end of the book provides an insightful discussion on the very cen-
tral challenge of how different knowledge system may support, or be a hindrance,
for the future development for and by the North.
Foreword vii
Finally, I would like to thank the hard work of the host, the UArctic staff, and
others who organized the congress and provided the famous Russian hospitality in
the fantastic St. Petersburg. I am also grateful to the contributors and editors of this
book which nicely sums up the highlights from scientific contributions at the con-
gress. I look forward to seeing you all in the next UArctic Congress in Oulu in the
early fall of 2018.
UArctic Lars Kullerud
Arendal, Norway
Preface
The chapters of this book are derived from the UArctic Congress 2016 science ses-
sions, focusing on themes identified in the report of the International Conference on
Arctic Research Planning (ICARP III) that was published in 2015. Themes address
the changes and developments as well as the challenges and opportunities that are
taking place in today’s global world. The Arctic is changing faster than any other
region in the world. Its climate is changing in a speed that cannot be found any-
where else, affecting either directly or indirectly to almost everyone and everything.
How can the Arctic societies and cultures, ecosystems, and environments cope with
these fast changes?
This book is divided into six thematic parts reflecting the congress themes:
Vulnerability of the Arctic Environments, Vulnerability of the Arctic Societies,
Building the Long-Term Human Capacity, Arctic Safety, and Arctic Tourism. The
final part of the book “Circumpolar, Inclusive and Reciprocal Arctic” looks at the
Arctic in the light of the UArctic’s mission and values; Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv,
professor of political sciences, addresses a number of issues surrounding the imple-
mentation of gender perspectives in the Arctic research, and Ulunnguaq Markussen,
UArctic Student Ambassador, calls for an Arctic awakening of peoples in the era
when Arctic is seen as a place for natural resource extraction and economic
benefits.
During the edition process of the book, it became clear that the chapters repre-
sent a cross section of several issues and trends that are currently taking place in the
Arctic: increased tourism – also in the seas - calling for maritime safety actions, and
preparedness, increasing amounts of contaminants and pollutants in spite of global
actions, emerging invasive species that are threatening arctic biodiversity. Changes
in the Arctic environment and atmosphere and increasing industrial activities and
natural resource extraction affect the Arctic peoples, both indigenous and nonindig-
enous and both in rural communities and in cities.
Despite the varying topics and different disciplinary approaches, the articles
highlight the interconnectedness of the Arctic. Different issues are linked to each
other, overlapping, entwined, and scaled across from local to global. The Arctic is
not a remote and isolated area but also an area of metropolitan development and a
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place where global trends are assimilated to, and on the other hand affected by, the
Arctic inhabitants.
Making the voice of the Arctic heard in the globalizing world is in the core of the
UArctic ambition, reflecting the common values and interests across northern peo-
ples and cultures. We hope that this book succeeds to serve the same purpose and
that you enjoy this written journey to The Interconnected Arctic.
Oulu, Finland Kirsi Latola
Hannele Savela