Limits and possibilities of the Arctic Council in a rapidly changing scene of Arctic governance (original) (raw)
Related papers
What is “Arctic Governance”? A Critical Assessment of the Diverse Meanings of “Arctic Governance”
The Yearbook of Polar Law Online
The history of the concept of governance in Arctic social science does not necessarily take into account the process and degree of conceptualization pertaining to the subject or any semantic consistency in its use. Unlike the homogeneous or ‘taken-for-granted’ use of the concept by policy-makers in general, centered on a Westphalian or state-centered understanding of governance, the academic production on Arctic governance is characterized by four categories of approaches – pragmatic, prescriptive, functional and critical – which do not attempt to coincide with disciplinary borders or theoretical framework distinctions. The substantive goals of these approaches differ depending on the context – the likeliness of implementation, compliance with law, efficiency and effectiveness of processes, or the framing or re-framing of issues. Whereas not mutually exclusive, the four approaches contrast in the role they grant to law and normativity in the governance process, as well as in their a...
From Meltdown to Showdown? Challenges and options for governance in the Arctic
The report identifies three normative requirements for governance in the Arctic, peace, freedom and self-determination, and sustainable development. These requirements are challenged by recent developments, and thus the need for regulative policies arises. The challenges are briefly sketched in regard to the issue areas of sovereign control, security, shipping, living resources and biodiversity, pollutants and climate change, resource extraction and living conditions of indigenous peoples. After briefly accounting for the status of the Arctic governance architecture as fragmented multi-level system, the report explores six future scenarios for governance: Back to Cold War, nationalization of the Arctic sea-space, an Arctic Treaty System, a regional seas governance mechanism, a regional organization and integrated multi-level governance. The report argues that the last option is the most feasible and also desirable.
One Arctic: The Arctic Council and Circumpolar Governance
Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, 2017
This volume of essays, written when the Arctic Council was celebrating its twentieth anniversary under the theme of “One Arctic” and the leadership of the United States’ second chairmanship, discusses the evolution of the Council as a political forum. Tracing key developments in the formation of the Council, identifying recent directions in intergovernmental policy and decision-making, and assessing how the Council engages with its membership, the contributors offer important insights into how the recent North American chairmanships by Canada (2013-2015) and the United States (2015-2017) identified and articulated new pathways for Arctic cooperation. Significant changes in the Arctic over the past decade make it necessary to reassess some common assumptions about the nature and direction of the Arctic Council and how it fits within the larger arena of international relations. As the chapters in this book reveal, the idea of “One Arctic” can serve as a lens through which to interrogate more closely how Arctic states, Indigenous rights-holders, other stakeholders, and the Arctic Council itself produce and transform divergent Arctic imaginaries.
The Arctic Council: an agent of change?
Global Environmental Change, 2020
The geo-political importance of the Arctic is growing while at the same time the onset of climate change has resulted in increasing environmental and social pressures both on Arctic states and the governance architecture through which Arctic issues are addressed. The Arctic Council is the primary intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among Arctic States, Indigenous communities and peoples. This thesis looks at how this body is evolving in response to these pressures. It explores the drivers and barriers to its institutional effectiveness; and through the lens of biodiversity considers how these may hinder or be conducive to its ability to have an impact upon the issues it was formed to address i.e. environmental protection and sustainable development. It does so through considering Actions needed to ensure the sustainable conservation and management of the Arctic's biodiversity; identifying barriers to the effectiveness of the Council in achieving its goals; and identifying mechanisms through which it seeks to achieve its objectives. 2 • Analyses how the Council operates and through the lens of biodiversity identifies drivers and barriers to its institutional effectiveness; providing an understanding of the norms and rules which constitute the Council, and which are central its problem-solving abilities (Paper III); and • Considers how the Council reports on and evaluates progress towards implementation of recommendations it makes regarding biodiversity, identifies where activities have had impacts and uncovers mechanisms through which they were successful, to provide insight into how the Arctic Council can be an agent of change (Paper IV). This introductory chapter provides a general background to the issues discussed in more detail in subsequent chapters, section 1.2 provides an overview of the Arctic Council and its biodiversity Working Group, the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF); section 1.3 considers the Arctic Council and effectiveness: and section 1.4 outlines the methods and research questions particular to each paper.
Arctic environmental governance: challenges of sustainable development
Climatic change, 2024
The Arctic is one of the key regions in relation to global climate change, experiencing radical transformations in environmental governance as well as challenges in terms of its ecological protection. The region is witnessing a number of irreversible climatic shifts, such as melting permafrost, rising sea levels, contamination of the Global Ocean, and changes in the lives of indigenous people. The Arctic is a global hot spot in climate change where international cooperation (scientific, environmental, diplomatic, etc.) should be a priority to overcome existing ecological challenges. This article provides detailed analysis of these issues from cross-disciplinary perspectives, bringing insights from economics, history, anthropology, international relations, and political science from the perspective of literature on environmental regionalism. The article analyzes a selection of heterogeneous actors, many of whom have contradictory rules, norms, and priorities. Analysis of the Arctic through the lens of regional environmental governance aspires to contribute to understanding of the complexity of existing challenges and their potential solutions. This article offers an analysis of the major findings in this topical collection. It contributes to the development of cross-disciplinary approach to the studies of the Artic and outlines a research agenda.
Introduction: Circumpolar Dimensions of the Governance of the Arctic
The Palgrave Handbook of Arctic Policy and Politics, 2019
Over 20 years ago, noted Arctic scholars Gail Oscherenko and Oran Young published a book with the compelling title The Hot Arctic. If the Arctic was hot at that time-and in comparative terms it was-it is a raging inferno now. Consider just a small subset of the issues currently at play: unchecked climate change, the largely unmoderated introduction of transformational technologies, the near collapse of traditional languages and severe cultural erosion among some Indigenous peoples, the redevelopment of Arctic spaces into playgrounds for wealthy outsiders, the rapid outmigration of northern residents, including Indigenous peoples, continued economic marginalization, the decline in harvestable wildlife, tragic levels of Indigenous suicide, local violence, HIV AIDS, and many other social, cultural and environmental challenges. There are offsetting and more positive developments, to be sure, including the rise of Indigenous internationalism, the continued success of the Arctic Council, the rapid growth in Indigenous economic development, greater stability among the Arctic non-Indigenous settlers, the continued growth of the Far Northern research and development capacity, more supportive southern interests in the region, international concern about northern ecological vulnerabilities, global interest in Arctic ecological sustainability, community engagement with renewable energy systems and the sustained rise of regional political voices. These are complex, promising and troubling times.
Society, Steward or Security Actor? Three Visions of the Arctic Council
While a long-term decrease in overall Arctic sea ice extent has been recorded by the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (2014) since the late 1970s, the unprecedented levels of ice melting and thinning experienced in the region in 2007, and subsequently in 2012, have brought the Arctic once again to the forefront of international affairs. Much popular and academic attention has focused on whether the Arctic is likely to remain a zone of cooperation, or descend into conflict. However, less attention has been paid to examining the evolution and role of fora in the region, such as the Arctic Council. In this paper, it is argued that three visions are presently shaping ways of thinking about the Council: the first envisages the Council as a society for Arctic states; the second sees the Council as a steward for the Arctic; and the third imagines the Council as a fully-fledged security actor. The extent to which each vision is manifested in the practices of the Council and its members is also examined. Finally, the paper considers what the ongoing tensions within and among these three ways of conceptualising the Council means for its future prospects, and for Arctic politics more generally.
Yearbook of Polar Law
Since the 1990s, various international governance systems have been active in promoting the wellbeing of the northern part of the globe. The Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, and the Northern Forum -three profound forms of governanceare in vogue in addressing the challenges faced by peoples residing in the Arctic. Climate change touches upon almost every issue connected to the well-being of the Arctic region. It also affects the primary goals and objectives of these governance systems. Over time, each initiative has developed its own climate policy. This article focuses on the climate policies of three soft-law governance systems and examines their role in addressing climate change in the Arctic.
Arctic Regional Governance: Actors and Transformations
Politics and Governance, 2024
This thematic issue analyzes recent and ongoing changes in Arctic regional governance in new geopolitical, security, and socioeconomic contexts. It places current challenges in the Arctic within a historical context, aspiring to identify solutions, and enhances our understanding of modern processes. It presents three perspectives on Arctic regional governance: the first focuses on the challenges to Arctic environmental governance (marine living resources and Arctic seals); the second looks at the role of large nation-states, such as Russia and China, in Arctic regional governance; and the third one analyses the challenges posed to Indigenous people-in Russia, Finland, and Canada. Many overlapping themes are developed in the articles: historical lessons (e.g., from the Cold War period), challenges to the inclusiveness of environmental governance, and the role of cross-border diffusion and learning. New challenges to Arctic regional governance in the context of the war in Ukraine affect environmental governance, international scientific collaboration, and the lives of Indigenous people. Yet we know little about the depth of these recent transformations. This thematic issue aims to fill in at least some of the outlined gaps.