Norway’s plan to allow deep-sea mining in Arctic waters has raised concerns about its potential harm to marine life, including whales and other species that rely on the seafloor ecosystem. In short: Key quote: “You can’t break up the seafloor without risking everything, including species not even yet discovered orContinue Reading
It is one of the most hostile regions on earth: only a few people live in the ice landscapes of the Arctic. And yet the huge area is strategically important – economically and militarily. Russia and NATO face off in the Arctic. The West has a lot of catching upContinue Reading
Greenpeace on Friday warned Norway that its plans to open up its Arctic seabed to mining would cause “irreversible” damage to the entire marine ecosystem. The Scandinavian country is expected to award the first exploration licences in 2025, and could become one of the first nations in the world toContinue Reading
About a year ago, the Norwegian nonprofit organization Miljostiftelsen Bellona published a report titled “The Russian Arctic: Defense and Money over Ecology” on the Russian version of its website. The organization blamed Russia for the lack of transparency of the work carried out in the region, as well as forContinue Reading
A third vessel of the Jan Mayen class is taken over by the Norwegian Coast Guard. “It is a milestone for our ocean nation,” Navy Chief Oliver Berdal says. The 136,4 meter long KV Hopen is the third vessel of the new class of Norwegian Coast Guard ships. It hasContinue Reading
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Mélanie Joly is readying an “Arctic foreign policy” aimed at preparing for a more tense time in international relations. Joly tells Bloomberg News that this will involve working closely with NATO peers, including Finland and Sweden, who recently joined the military alliance. Her officeContinue Reading
The combination of seasonally ice-free waters and turmoil along traditional trade routes is diverting vessels into the Arctic. The first non-ice class Panamax containership has now received a permit for the Northern Sea Route. In what constitutes a first for Arctic shipping, a large conventional container ship has received aContinue Reading
The earlier conflicts among arctic stakeholders included disputes over natural resources including fisheries, delineation, conflict between the USA and Canada over war and peacekeeping identities. Conflict between Norway and Sweden where the union king was considered threat to Norway’s autonomy. Where circumpolar states including Sweden, Norway, and Greenland remained aContinue Reading
The Arctic region is increasingly becoming a new frontier for geostrategic competition between the powers. Moscow and Beijing see eye-to-eye on the need to preserve the Arctic as “a territory of peace, low military-political tension, and stability,” as President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China underlined. Russia and China willContinue Reading
Global plastic pollution talks in Ottawa came to a close April 30, and with them a group of Indigenous leaders from the Arctic are on their way home. But the mood remains bittersweet for the delegation that must return to a region that has become a “sink” collecting plastic pollutionContinue Reading