Arctic Geopolitics, Media and Power

Abstract

Arctic Geopolitics, Media and Power provides a fresh way of looking at the potential and limitations of regional international governance in the Arctic region.Far-reaching impacts of climate change, its wealth of resources and potential for new commercial activities have placed the Arctic region into the political limelight. In an era of rapid environmental change, the Arctic provides a complex and challenging case of geopolitical interplay. Based on analyses of how actors from within and outside the Arctic region assert their interests and how such discourses travel in the media, this book scrutinizes the social and material contexts within which new imaginaries, spatial constructs and scalar preferences emerge. It places ground-breaking attention to shifting media landscapes as a critical component of the social, environmental and technological change. It also reflects on the fundamental dilemmas inherent in democratic decision making at a time when an urgent need for addressing climate change is challenged by conflicting interests and growing geopolitical tensions. This book will be of great interest to geography academics, media and communication studies and students focusing on policy, climate change and geopolitics, as well as policy-makers and NGOs working within the environmental sector or with the Arctic region.

Making Regional Sense of Global Sustainable Development Indicators for the Arctic

“…Sustainable development has been a topic in Arctic politics since the mid-1980s, including articulations of indigenous perspectives on sustainability and as a framing in the negotiations of circumpolar cooperation [25,[82][83][84][85]. When the Arctic Council was established by the Ottawa Declaration in 1996, sustainable development became an official goal of the circumpolar cooperation [86], but, so far this mention has not been accompanied by any dedicated circumpolar assessment.…”

“…While the notion is implicit in SDG 17 about global partnerships, social networks and well-functioning institutions and networks that can foster collaboration are needed at levels, from the local to the global. Furthermore, attention to the well-being of the international networks is essential at a time of increasing geopolitical tensions in the Arctic and elsewhere [82]. Increasing tensions over the use of landscapes and seascapes at a time of rapid environmental and social change places further needs on ensuring trust in how the institutions in society can manage conflicts of interests.…”

Polar Regions

“…Increases in Arctic marine transportation create impacts and risks for ecosystems and people, such as an increased likelihood of accidents, the introduction of invasive species, oil spills, waste discharges, detrimental impacts on animals, habitat and subsistence activities (Sections 3.2.4.3,3.4.3.3.2). There has been a rise in geopolitical debate regarding national and international level regulations and policies, and maritime infrastructure to support Arctic shipping development (Heininen and Finger, 2017;AMAP, 2018;Drewniak et al, 2018;Nilsson and Christensen, 2019). Without further action leading to adequate implementation of well-developed management plans and region-specific regulations, anticipated future increases in Arctic shipping will pose a greater risk to people and ecosystems (high confidence).…”

Is A Common Goal A False Hope in Convergence Research?: Opportunities and Challenges of International Convergence Research to Address Arctic Change

“…One shortcoming we have identified is that we did not engage stakeholders and Arctic communities directly in the development of research questions related to the ASIAQ goals—rather focusing on outreach—which likely would have made our research more participatory and more meaningful for solving real‐world issues (English et al., 2018). Indigenous voices—and even non‐Indigenous northern voices—are often lost in the conversation about the Arctic once the interests of the Arctic nations are involved (Nilsson & Christensen, 2019), a problem a growing number of Arctic Early Career Researchers is aware of (Sjöberg et al., 2018). Involving stakeholders and communities ensures that solutions to what constitutes a real‐world issue in the Arctic come from the interest of Arctic peoples.…”