Today, everything is on the move and so is the Arctic. The globe is more connected than ever and yet also more divided. Climate change impacts, geopolitical tensions, sea ice edge, technology hubs, businesses, flora and fauna – all are moving North, presenting unprecedented challenges and opportunities for sustainable development and for the peoples of the Arctic who are also on the move to and from the region.
This session focuses on large global trends and the role of the Arctic in them. We will examine how the two global drivers – climate change and geopolitics – are impacting development in the Arctic.
One of the greatest societal challenges facing the pan-Arctic region is outmigration, especially of youth. We are witnessing a demographic pattern in the Arctic where some population centres are growing, because members of smaller communities are moving to regional hubs in search of services, and education and employment opportunities.
Plastic pollution is now found in the most remote parts of the world, including the Arctic. Plastic is on the seabed, inside the stomachs of marine life, in rivers, on glaciers, and increasingly within the food chain. Amongst many other negative impacts, plastic pollution is a concern for human health, whether ingested through the food chain or leaching of chemicals in water.
Through diverse engagements with nature resource extraction and ecological vulnerability in the contemporary Arctic, contributors to this session welcome visions of resource regimes from both inside and outside the Arctic. The main themes are geopolitical (balancing new and traditional ways of seeing nature), adaptation (future scenarios of the climate region), technology (technical applications to data management) and energy (the future of oil and gas).
Norway, Canada and Sustainable Development: A Case Study on Blue Economy.
Canada and Norway have the longest and second longest coastlines in the world, with a combined length of approximately 344,000 kilometres. Both countries have unutilized potential for ocean growth, and both have strong policy, research and business developments in the blue economy sector.
