Where Will the Usa Take the Arctic Council?
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MAGAZINE Permanent Participants’ Perspective 16 No. 1 A regional approach for the Arctic 20 2015 THE CIRCLE Renewable energy in the north 24 ARCTIC COUNCIL’S NEW CHAIR WHAT IS USA BRINGING TO THEWHERE TABLE? WILL THE USA TAKE THE ARCTIC COUNCIL? PUBLISHED BY THE WWF GLOBAL ARCTIC PROGRAMME THE CIRCLE 1.2015 USA ARCTIC COUNCIL CHAIR Contents EDITORIAL Time for all nations to act on recommendations 3 IN BRIEF 4 LEONA AGLUKKAQ Improving the lives of Northerners 6 ROBERT J. PAPP United States leadership in the Arctic 7 ALEKSI HÄRKÖNEN Finland on deck 9 ANDREA CHARRON Canada, the Arctic Council and rough seas 10 Canada versus USA 14 PERMANENT PARTICIPANTS’ PERSPECTIVE Focus on marine environment 16 Cooperation, climate change, cutting through geopolitics key to upcoming term 17 Put energy into energy 18 Expectations for the US chairmanship 19 BROOKS YEAGER A regional seas approach for the Arctic: what does it mean? 20 TOM ARMSTRONG U.S. action needed 22 KLAUS DOHRING Renewable energy in the far north – is it feasible? 24 SANTINA GAY and RODERICK PHILLIP Towards a sustainable future 26 JOHN WALSH and LARRY HINZMAN Opportunities, Challenges, Responsibilities 28 EIRIK SIVERTSEN For people and the environment 30 THE PICTURE 32 The Circle is published quar- Publisher: Editor in Chief: Clive Tesar, COVER: Arctic US flag. terly by the WWF Global Arctic WWF Global Arctic Programme [email protected] Illustration: Ketill Berger, filmform.no. Programme. Reproduction and 8th floor, 275 Slater St., Ottawa, quotation with appropriate credit ON, Canada K1P 5H9. Managing Editor: Becky Rynor, ABOVE: Melting iceberg on coast are encouraged. Articles by non- Tel: +1 613-232-8706 [email protected] Qaanaaq, Greenland, Photo: Staffan Widstrand / WWF affiliated sources do not neces- Fax: +1 613-232-4181 sarily reflect the views or policies Design and production: of WWF. Send change of address Internet: www.panda.org/arctic Film & Form/Ketill Berger, and subscription queries to the [email protected] address on the right. We reserve ISSN 2073-980X = The Circle the right to edit letters for publica- Printed by St. Joseph Communications tion, and assume no responsibil- Date of publication: ity for unsolicited material. March, 2015. Thank you for your interest in The Circle. Many of our subscribers have moved to an e-version. To receive an electronic copy in your email 2 The Circle 1.2015 instead of a paper copy, please write to us at [email protected] and help us reduce our costs and footprint. EDITORIAL Time for all nations to act on recommendations THIS IS AN IMPORTANT YEAR for the Arctic. Every two issues and policy actions require national implementation years, the Chairmanship of the Arctic Council rotates and which is often patchy at best. WWF believes it is time for the eight Arctic states and six Arctic Indigenous peoples’ Arctic nations to take seriously the reports the Council organizations that comprise the Council have an opportu- commissions – and the policy recommendations that nity to review and renew their collective vision of the far accompany them – by developing national implementa- north. tion plans that respond with appropriate urgency. We welcome the decision of the incoming Arctic However, responsibility for the Arctic does not end Council chair, the United States government, to offer a with its peoples and states. Countries such as China, comprehensive public outline of what it would like the South Korea and India that have recently come on board Council to focus on over the next two years. A major fea- as observers also have an important role to play. That ture of its agenda is the tantalizing prospect of a regional should include proving their concern for the Arctic envi- seas agreement for the Arctic, something that could help ronment by playing a constructive part in other interna- settle long-standing thorny questions of how states could tional fora. For instance, the second part cooperate and harmonize their of the International approach to the ocean waters Maritime Organiza- that many of them share. A FIRM AND BOLD COMMITMENTS tion’s Polar Code will focus on renewable energy for TO LIMIT EACH NATION’S soon be negotiated. the Arctic is an equally crucial GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS So far, this process component of the agenda and in has failed to address this issue we profile the example WOULD GO A LONG WAY TO some serious envi- already being set by an Alaskan ADDRESSING MANY OF THE ronmental issues MARCO LAMBERTINI is village. ISSUES FACING THE ARCTIC associated with Director General, WWF International As an observer, WWF doesn’t Arctic shipping such get to play an official role in the as the use and car- negotiations on the ministerial statement, but we cer- riage of polluting heavy fuel oils, along with provisions to tainly make our opinions heard. WWF has put forward prevent invasive species from being introduced to the its position on the US proposals, which can be found on Arctic by ships. our website at panda.org/ministerial. However, one of Another obvious example where all Arctic coun- the biggest changes we would like to see can’t be made tries and observers must commit without hesitation is by the chair, or by the Council operating as a collec- the upcoming global negotiations in Paris for a much- tive. It is a change that each member state must take on needed, strong climate agreement. Firm and bold com- as a national responsibility. For many years, the Arctic mitments to limit each nation’s greenhouse gas emissions Council has produced fine reports compiling the state would go a long way to addressing many of the issues of knowledge on Arctic issues from climate change to facing the Arctic. This will provide a powerful example for ocean acidification to Arctic biodiversity. These outstand- the rest of the world – which should care as much as the ing reports come with a series of recommendations, also Arctic nations about the future of this inspirational, vital often excellent. But there the process breaks down, as the and fragile global linchpin. The Circle 1.2015 3 IN BRIEF caribou management plans. “King Salmon”. WWF supports These measures combined Bristol Bay, can help ensure that caribou Alaska, USA. Baffin Island will be part of the diet of caribou harvesting future generations of Inuit and Northerners.” moratorium Baffin Island is the fifth largest island in the world, THE GOVERNMENT of Nuna- covering more than 500,000 vut in northern Canada has square kilometres, making it placed a moratorium on slightly larger than Spain. hunting caribou on Baffin Island, effective January 1, 2015. The decision is in keep- ing with Nunavut’s wildlife Polar bear conflict co-management system of combining best available sci- hits record high in Photo: Chris Ford, Creative Commons, Flickr.com ence and traditional and local knowledge. Greenland Protection for America’s fish basket “This is a decision that A NEW WWF REPORT shows needed to be made,” says increasing numbers of polar U.S. PRESIDENT Barack Obama that witness salmon runs of David Miller, President and bears are being killed in self- has used a Presidential Memo- over 37 million fish each year. CEO of WWF-Canada. “We defence in Greenland. The randum to ban future oil and The bay supports 31 Alaska appreciate that making this loss of sea ice habitat is push- gas drilling in Bristol Bay, Native Villages, creates more decision was not easy, know- ing the bears into communi- Alaska. Bristol Bay is one than 12,000 jobs for fishermen ing how important caribou ties where they are coming of the most productive wild and processors, and provides harvesting is to Nunavut into increasing conflict with salmon fisheries in the world millions of dollars in jobs for families, many of whom are people. The situation is and the last pristine salmon commercial fishermen. suffering from insecure food particularly critical in East ecosystem in North America. “The Obama Administra- sources.” Greenland. Nearly 50 per cent of the tion’s decision to protect Bris- Caribou across the Arctic In the first nine months world’s wild sockeye salmon tol Bay is a huge win for both face numerous pressures to of 2014, twelve polar bears comes from these waters. Bristol Bay fishermen and the their long-term survival. The were shot in self-defence in Environmental groups and region’s coastal communities” latest draft Nunavut Land Greenland. That is the high- Native Alaskans have been said Margaret Williams, Man- Use Plan proposed in 2014 by est figure ever recorded. working for years to secure aging Director of the WWF US the Nunavut Planning Com- Reductions in sea ice mean protection for the area. Arctic Program mission does not exclude the bears have fewer oppor- “Because of the great work The U.S. President protected industrial development from tunities to hunt ringed seals, that was done by local com- the 52,234 square miles of caribou calving and post- their primary prey. The hun- munities, Native Alaskans, Bristol Bay under the Outer calving areas. gry bears then tend to move folks who cared about making Continental Shelf Lands Act. “It is difficult to imagine towards land and will prowl sure that we preserved this The President’s announce- how caribou populations villages in search of food. In natural wonder for genera- ment does not, however, apply are going to thrive over the the East Greenland village tions to come, we were able to mining, and as a result long-term without protect- of Ittoqqortoormiit, polar to take action that is going to will not affect hotly contested ing their most important bears have been spotted in take Bristol Bay off the bidders plans for Pebble Mine, a giant habitat,” says Paul Crowley, or around the community block and make sure that it open-pit gold and copper mine Director of Arctic Programs several times a week, says the is preserved into the future,” proposed for the Bristol Bay for WWF-Canada.