The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of June 13, 2022
The End of the “Whisky War” and Greenland’s First Land Border
As reported by CBC News on June 13, the almost 50-year-long territorial dispute over Hans Island between Canada and Denmark has finally been settled. The countries have struck an agreement to divide the 1.3-square-kilometer island located in the Arctic Kennedy Channel in half. One part of the island will now officially belong to Canada, while the other will be part of Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. (CBC)
Take 1: Sandwiched between Greenland and Canada’s Ellesmere Island, this tiny remote island contains no minerals or chemicals. There is no vegetation on it, and neither country’s residents have ever resided there. Nonetheless, the governments of Denmark and Canada have been engaged in a political game for several decades since 1973 of words, flags- and even bottles! A bizarre back-and-forth has taken place between the two sides since Canadian soldiers first deliberately placed a bottle of Canadian whisky on this contentious bit of rock, with the resulting series of symbolic liquor bottle retaliations branding the border dispute as the so-called “Whisky War.” This pseudo-confrontation between the two NATO allies could have continued to go on if not for an event taking place far from this island: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Amidst this conflict, the peaceful settlement over Hans Island can be considered a demonstrative sign of Arctic NATO states pulling closer together in response to increased security concerns. This move to a unified defense has been referred to several times, including at the recent Reykjavik Northern Group meeting. In the face of threats to Arctic security, strong political unity is urgently needed. But will this togetherness last if a military conflict breaks out in the region? (The New York Times)
Russia’s Response to Nato Actions- Reactive Defense or Strategic Aggression?
As reported by The Barents Observer on June 13, Russia’s Northern Fleet has confirmed that it is planning to reopen its naval air base in Murmansk Oblast, last active in 1998. The reconstruction of the Severomorsk-2 military airfield is part of a larger airstrip network plan for the Russian Arctic that is expected to be completed by 2030. The Russian Navy did not provide any specifics as to which aircrafts may be based at the restored facility. (The Barents Observer)
Take 2: With Russia effectively banished from Arctic cooperation, there has been increasing media attention on the expansion of military facilities, the testing of new weapons, military exercises, and even statements about nuclear weapons use in the Arctic. Both sides – NATO states and Russia – contribute to these frightening news developments. Representatives of the Russian military state that Russia’s militarization policy in the Arctic is a response to the buildup of NATO’s active presence in the region, claiming these developments as an hostile threat to national security. However, there is no smoke without fire. Circumpolar states, including NATO members, have witnessed Russia’s growing militarization of the region for several years. Concerns regarding Russian activity in the High North have grown as a result of the country’s aggressive and unpredictable behavior, particularly after the invasion of Ukraine. Provocative moves such as the recent test-launch of a hypersonic Zircon cruise missile in the Barents Sea and the nuclearisation of the Kola Peninsula are indeed alarming. The resulting backlash, including the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO, certainly does not help in putting out the flames. To choose a strategy of confrontation undermines all existing and future initiatives for Arctic development, science, and environmental protection. Such an irreversible turn would have an irreparable negative impact on the well-being of Arctic inhabitants and ecosystems. (Business Insider, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik)
No Oil Drilling at the Ice Edge This Year
As reported by Reuters on June 14, three Arctic oil exploration blocks in the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea will be removed from the next Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) licensing round, an annual event where the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy decides on applications made by companies for petroleum exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf. This decision regarding these previously off-duty blocks was made by the minority center-left government on the basis of a deal with the Socialist Left opposition party to secure its budget for 2022. (Reuters)
Take 3: The APA licensing round is an important part of the petroleum industry in Norway. Through this annual campaign, oil and gas firms are able to get access to lucrative exploration areas of the Norwegian shelf. Further exploration is considered to facilitate profitable investments, boost employment, and maintain Norway’s state budget. However, the removal of these three Arctic blocks is overshadowed by the fact that 28 new Barents Sea licensing blocks have also been made available for bidding. Despite the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature that the 2022 APA licensing round must be canceled over its environmental ramifications, the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy thinks otherwise. As maintained by the Ministry, Norway must secure its status as a safe and predictable helping hand for Europe in the process of abandoning Russian fuels. According to this rhetoric, the expansion of oil exploration blocks is a justified measure. However, this year’s expansion also covers areas covered wholly or in-part by the Barents Sea Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ). This area of transition between the open sea and the ice sheet features highly vulnerable areas and important feeding grounds for Arctic wildlife. It is absolutely clear that petroleum activities should be prohibited in these areas, regardless of geopolitical tensions. Still, a recent victory over the removal of the northernmost licenses offers a glimmer of hope this could also happen to the current Barents Sea blocks in the future. (Dagsavisen, Teknisk Ukeblad, The Barents Observer)
Exceptional Heating in the Barents Area
As reported by High North News on June 15, a new research paper shows that the Northern Barents area is experiencing exceptional warming. The study, based on data from weather stations in Svalbard and Franz Josef Land, shows that the yearly average temperature is rising at a rate of up to 2.7°C [36.86°F] per decade. The pace of warming in the region is happening at 2-2.5 times the average Arctic rate, and 5-7 times more than the global average. (High North News)
Take 4: The Arctic climate is shifting away from its current stable state towards an unprecedented state of rapid warming. The region has warmed three times faster than the rest of the globe during the last 50 years, and this new research shows the situation is even worse than expected in certain areas. This is resulting in extensive and rapid changes to sea and land ice, permafrost, as well as all other physical characteristics of the Arctic ecosystem. These shifts are reshaping the Arctic with far-reaching repercussions. The melting of the Arctic in turn contributes to further climate change , which then exacerbates conditions that increase the likelihood of climate-induced catastrophes such as wildfires. The massive fires threatening villages in southwestern Alaska and the burning Siberian tundra provide good examples of how wildfires cause severe impacts on the local population – from mental and physical health problems, to economic damages. But this is just one example of the broad range of consequences we can expect from these climate-induced changes, covering problems like flooding, erosion, threats to food security and beyond. It is clearly more important than ever to understand the scale of these changes and to make this challenge a priority as soon as possible. (AMAP)
A Russian Arctic Without Renewables?
As cited by The Barents Observer on June 14, the Russian newspaper Kommersant has revealed that the Finnish energy company Fortum is winding down its activities in Russia. After approximately 15 years of cooperation in the renewable energy sector, the company has now decided to sell all assets before July 1. Italian company Enel and other electricity producers are also likely to terminate their commercial partnerships with Russia. (Kommersant, The Barents Observer)
Take 5: Fortum has been a leading investor in the field of renewable energy and an active participant in the development of renewable sources in Russia. While the company primarily focuses on non-Arctic locations for wind and solar energy, it has also actively involved the Arctic region of Murmansk in the development of hydroelectric energy, where it holds a 29.99% stake in Gazprom Energoholding’s subsidiary renewable energy company TGC-1. At the same time, Italy’s Enel was also working on launching the first wind farm on the Kola Peninsula. However, it appears that renewable energy projects are already now receding into the past. But what will happen next in terms of Russian alternative energy, and, more crucially, how will these recent moves affect the Russian Arctic? The risks to the Arctic and its ecosystem as a whole will grow as a result of a reduced focus on green energy, suggesting an inevitable abandonment of climate-change-fighting measures. A lack of investment and access to know-how will only accelerate the deterioration of Arctic energy infrastructure. (Fotrum.ru, Frontiers, The Barents Observer)