The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of June 20, 2022
Polar Bears and The Climate Crisis: Avoiding Ecosystem Collapse
As reported by Eye On The Arctic on June 17, a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the United States of America, Norway, and Greenland have identified a genetically isolated polar bear subpopulation in Southeast Greenland that is hunting in freshwater ice conditions. Using over three decades of genetic, movement, and population data, the study shows how the bears use glacier ice to survive even with limited access to sea ice. The study authors conclude that the discovery of this population suggests the potential adaptation of the species to the changing Arctic environment. (Eye On The Arctic)
Take 1: This distinct polar bear population’s ability to adapt to their changing environment in Greenland warrants awe and respect, butand should also be interpreted as another sign for the pressing need to adequately address the current anthropogenic climate crisis. The oxygen decrease observed in oceans, including in the Arctic Ocean, has disastrous consequences for marine wildlife, and is one of the main factors contributing to marine extinction alongside increased temperatures. Polar bears in Greenland are adapting to the disappearing icescape, but if they no longer have enough fish to eat – or if seals don’t have enough fish to eat either – the ecosystem collapses. It is already collapsing. Yet, there is no point in touting doomsday narratives either. While we are already experiencing disastrous consequences set in motion from the climate crisis, it does not mean that emission and waste reduction policies serve no purpose. On the contrary, they are necessary and a duty towards planet Earth and all living beings. (ICC, Polar Journal)
Greenland Rekindling Relations with North America: A Geopolitical Repositioning in the Age of the “Arctic 7”
As reported by Polar Journal on June 17, Greenland’s Prime Minister Mr. Egede has expressed intentions to foster closer economic and diplomatic partnerships with North America, particularly with the United States of America. During a presentation at the policy think tank the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C., The Prime Minister highlighted fields such as tourism, mining and renewable energy as key in developing these stronger partnerships. (Polar Journal)
Take 2: With the so-called Arctic 7 – the Arctic Council states without Russia – resuming work without Russia, Greenland’s decision to strengthen their links with North America appears to be a valid strategic choice. Previously keen on economic trade with Russia, the Western sanctions on Russia appear to have accelerated Greenland’s wish to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties with its neighbours. Beyond economic incentives, culture also plays an important role: while Greenland and Northern Canada – Nunavut, Nunavik and Newfoundland-and-Labrador – are geographical neighbours, crossing their border is a long and tenuous task due to a lack of infrastructure. Inuit cultural and historical ties link Greenland to Canada across the Labrador Sea, Baffin Bay and Kennedy Channel. Building bridges between Greenland and Northern Canada also serves as a way for Inuit communities to exchange in an easier and more meaningful way. Economic sovereignty as well as stronger connections with its neighbours is a way for Greenland to position itself on the global political chessboard, perhaps also pushing away from the European geopolitical legacy of Danish colonization. (Arctic 360, High North News, Nordic Co-operation)
2022 Polaris Music Prize: Tanya Tagaq and Arctic Excellence
As reported by Arctic Today on June 16, acclaimed Inuk artist Tanya Tagaq’s recent album Tongues has been shortlisted for the Canadian 2022 Polaris Music Prize. The Prize celebrates Canadian artists by highlighting 40 albums every year, with the shortlist scheduled to be released on July 14. (Arctic Today)
Take 3: The Polaris Music Prize is a Canadian competition that aims to highlight musicians and their talents, where Tanya Tagaq’s nomination now brings the talents of Arctic artistics to the forefront. Summer marks the beginning of the festival season, when artists from all around the world showcase their talents, knowledge and craftsmanship, including in the Arctic where talent and craftsmanship abounds. For instance, The 2022 Arctic Arts Summit will take place in Whitehorse, Yukon, bringing together representatives of Arctic countries and Indigenous nations of the Circumpolar North. The Arctic Arts Festival, hosted in Harstad, Norway, will begin on June 25. Tanya Tagaq’s nomination serves as a national reminder of the skill and knowledge of the High North and Arctic communities. Congratulations to Tanya Tagaq! (Arctic Arts Festival, Arctic Arts Summit, Arctic Circle, Arctic Culture Lab, Arctic Sustainable Arts and Design, Arctic Yearbook, Polaris Music Prize)
Arctic Oil as Russia’s Ark: Between Rescuing the Economy and Geopolitical Readjustments
As reported by The Barents Observer on June 20, Igor Sechin, a prominent figure of the Russian oil industry , addressed the current domestic economic situation during a speech at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum on June 19, deriding the international sanctions levied against Russia as detrimental to the world economy. President of the Rosneft oil company, Igor Seching also called the Arctic and the Vostok Oil project a “Noah’s Ark” for Russia’s energy industry. (The Barents Observer)
Take 4: EU sanctions against Russia are mounting as the supranational union prepares itself to forgo Russian oil and gas. Igor Seching is not necessarily wrong to highlight the potential disastrous economic consequences for Europe. Yet it is really the Russian economy and energy sector which have so far been hit the hardest. However, even Russia being pushed out of the Arctic Council, its so-called “Turn to the East” such as through the founding of the Russian-Asian Arctic Research Consortium with China, appears as a way for Russia to readjust its political leanings. The St. Petersburg Economic Forum served as a stage for the announcement of the Vostok Oil Project as a “ new Ark of the world economy.” The question is, which world? At the same time, viewing the Arctic as a ‘Noah’s Ark’ in these circumstances does not bode well for global efforts in reducing fossil fuel dependency. (The Arctic, The Barents Observer, High North News)
Medical Delivery Drones in Greenland: A Modern Solution to an Old Problem?
As reported by High North News on June 21, the Greenlandic health care system is teaming up with Falck– a Danish company that provides health, emergency, and ambulance services – to test the use of drones in delivering testing medication and diagnostic samples. For the purpose of investigating how drone-delivery might strengthen the island’s health care efforts, drones will be transporting medications and samples between select cities and settlements until November 2022. (High North News)
Take 5: Access to healthcare is a problem not unique to the Arctic, but one made particularly substantial due to remote living conditions and weak infrastructure. From dentistry to midwifery, having quick access to medical services is a matter of national social security. But Greenland faces the difficult changes of geography, settlement patterns, and weather in securing this access. The use of new technologies – such as drones and telemedicine – are therefore tools that can mitigate the effects of a remote and sparse population. However, the sophisticated medical equipment needed for these services is not necessarily readily accessible in these remote communities, meaning that in isolation they are not ideal solutions. As such, modern technologies in isolation are most effective when also combined with traditional and culturally sensitive medical practices. The climate crisis – from melting permafrost to ecosystem collapse – also has health consequences for local people, making the need to provide quality health care an even more pressing issue of social justice and security. (International Journal of Circumpolar Health, Nordic Co-operation, Telemedicine and e-Health)