The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of March 7, 2022
Censorship and VPN: Arctic Cooperation Continues
As reported by The Barents Observer on March 9, the Russian online journal 7×7 has been censured and taken off the Russian Internet (RuNet), after they failed to comply with the new state regulations regarding information on Ukraine. The independent journal is based in the Russian North, and will continue their work on civil society development in the northern regions by switching to a foreign-based alternative URL which is accessible by VPN. (The Barents Observer)
Take 1: The decision does not stand alone: the Russian site of The Barents Observer has also been censured and added to the now growing list of blocked media in Russia. Plurality of information and freedom of press are not only pillars of democracy, but they are also essential for individual and community information. Having access to a wide variety of reports enables an effective civil society which is able to organize and defend its rights. Media pluralism is also essential for research – be it scholarly or institutional – as a foundation of circumpolar cooperation. Yet circumpolar exchange will continue in spite of sanctions. For instance, the Saami Council has issued a statement denouncing the closure of the border as hitting “not businessmen and owners of mega-corporations and banks, but ordinary residents of the country.” The ongoing sanctions and strengthening of censorship, both international and domestic, are a true obstacle for not only Indigenous communities, but for all those in the High North who now must rely on third-party technology such as a VPN to access valuable information. (Saami Council)
Arctic Council Boycott: Russia Isolated
As reported by Arctic Today on March 4, Russian Arctic officials have called the Arctic Council’s decision to boycott all future meetings in Russia and the subsequent suspension of all Council related activities “regrettable.” The seven Arctic member states – Canada, Finland, Greenland/Denmark, Iceland, Norway, the United States,and Sweden – formally condemned Russia over the current conflict in Ukraine. (Arctic Today)
Take 2: The current conflict in Ukraine has led to an effective adjournment of Nordic cooperation with Russia. The Federation has been suspended from participating in the Barents Council, the Nordic Council of Ministers, and the Council of the Baltic Sea States. It is hard to imagine what ‘Arctic cooperation’ might look like without over 50% of its coastline. However, many call for peaceful cooperation to continue one way or another – with or without the Arctic Council. Attempts at a return to stability in the North are already being made, with Sweden for instance de-escalating tensions by no longer pursuing a potential membership to NATO. Other configurations for cooperation are already being envisioned. A suggested Nordic Plus configuration between Europe and North America, would be based on shared values rather than pure geographic proximity to the Arctic. In a similar vein, Alice Rogoff, co-founder of The Arctic Circle Assembly, calls for an Arctic Council 2.0. Whatever the new name of this European-North American Arctic cooperation might be, it seems like Arctic cooperation is experiencing a drastic turn. It is too early to tell what the long-term consequences of the conflict will be for Arctic cooperation. Nonetheless, a cooperation based on ‘shared values’ begs the question of which – and whose – values are here considered central? (Arctic Today, Financial Times, Polar Connection, The Barents Observer)
Prospects and Livelihood Opportunities for Russia’s Arctic: A New 2035 Vision Needed
As reported by Arctic Today on March 5, BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies are among many companies that have withdrawn from investing in Russian Arctic resource development, with potential repercussions for massive projects such as the massive Vostok Oil or Novatek’s LNG 2 projects. It is currently unclear whether Chinese investors will also pull out. (Arctic Today)
Take 3: The Arctic oil and resource industry is key for Russia’s economy. The Yamal liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, the Arctic LNG 1, 2, and 3 projects, and the Obskiy LNG project combined accounted for 17% of global trade volumes in 2019. The resource industry serves as a backbone and foundation for the country’s 2035 development strategy of the Arctic zone. With new sanctions rolling in by the day, it is now unclear whether this development strategy will hold over time. While Mongolia is agreeing to continue cooperation with Russian multinational energy corporation Gazprom to build a new pipeline to China, some Chinese state companies are already suspending their activities with Russia until further notice. What economic prospects are there left for the Russian Arctic, and what livelihood opportunities will remain for the local population? While sanctions are targeting the wealth and assets of Russian oligarchs and are meant to isolate and asphyxiate the Russian government, those who will bear the brunt of the economic fall-out might very well be local Arctic people who depend on exports and imports to survive. (CNN, ISPI, The New York Times)
School Performance and Student Wellbeing: ADHD in the Arctic
As reported by Nunatsiaq News on March 7, the Canadian Center for ADHD Awareness has awarded a ‘good’ grade to Nunavut’s school system in their 2021 report on ADHD in the school system. According to the center, the territory’s ‘inclusive education’ was a key factor in its rating. Nunavut is currently the only territory of the country to have received a ‘good’ grade. (Nunatsiaq News)
Take 4: Appropriate care and education for neurodivergent children or children with learning difficulties is not often talked about regarding Arctic education. The prime focus has been on increasing school attendance and graduation rates, especially for Indigenous children and teenagers. Yet while there are studies on the environmental factors associated with ADHD among children living in the Arctic, there are only a few studies on school performance, or that mention ADHD at all. As such, it is difficult to have a reliable overview on circumpolar school performance and effective strategies specifically for ADHD. The conclusion of the Centre for ADHD Awareness’s report for the Territory of Nunavut is certainly welcome, and promises good hope for the continuation of effective and long-term commitment to quality education in the region. A broader circumpolar cross-border study would also offer an interesting comparative point of analysis, allowing for cross-border cooperation to continue in new exciting ways despite ongoing international tensions. (Cogen Psychology, Environmental Health Perspectives, UiT Munin)
Heavy Fines for Russian High North Expedition: An Opportunity for Canadian Airspace?
As reported by Nunatsiaq News on March 7, CA$24,000 worth of fines have been imposed on a chartered flight to Nunavut bearing an expedition crew composed of Russian nationals. The crew arrived by plane to Yellowknife on March 1, after Canada closed its airspace to all Russian aircrafts on February 27. The expedition appears to be part of a Russian-led expedition project called TransGlobal Car. (Nunatsiaq News)
Take 5: Canada’s North is keen on developing its tourism industry. In 2017, CanNor, the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, invested in the construction of the first highway connected to the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories. The tourism industry is a sector worth millions and is a priority for CanNor, with this project alone bringing over 15,000 tourists to the region in 2018. The spillovers from the Ukrainian conflict to the Arctic are many – but a potential hindrance to Canadian Northern tourism development is perhaps one not well anticipated. At the same time, Canada has certainly never been a top destination for Russian travelers. But Arctic cooperation in the field of scientific research, and economic and diplomatic exchanges, has now been amputated by half. As several flight companies such as Finnair are now developing new routes that avoid passing through Russian airspace, Alaska’s Anchorage Airport is back in the geostrategic spotlight as a former key stopover for airplanes routing around the Soviet Union during the cold war. Will Northern Canadian airports also gain traction as a result of the new sanctions on Russia? (Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, Twitter)