Industrial extraction of Arctic natural resources since the sixteenth century: technoscience and geo-economics in the history of northern whaling and mining

Avango, Dag; Hacquebord, Louwrens; Wråkberg, Urban

doi:10.1016/j.jhg.2014.01.001

Cited by 39 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…The scientific literature covers a wide range of issues related to the Russian polar zone [6,7] and the world [8][9][10], the ecological efficiency of technologies for the development of SM deposits [11], the development of individual industries in the regions [1,12], the transport and logistics infrastructure [13], the combination of geotechnologies for a sustainable development of subsoil [14], geotechnological preparation of deposits with small reserves [15], the association of small and medium-sized gold mining enterprises to increase the efficiency of their operation [16], etc. However, the copying of research results and best practices of the mining sector to the conditions for the development of specific deposits or their groups in the polar regions of Russia is in most cases difficult or has a short-term positive impact.…”

Section: Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Concerning the principles of development of mineral resources in the polar zone of Russia by small enterprises

2018

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Increasing the efficiency of developing deposits of solid minerals in the polar zone of the northeast of Russia is an objective necessity. Unlike traditional territories, the peculiarities of the region predetermine the use of new approaches and methods in studying the feasibility of developing various deposits, including the widely represented relatively small deposits. Compared to large ones, medium and small mining enterprises operating or created on their basis have fewer opportunities to protect their interests. Their design and actual technical and economic indicators are generally worse than those of more powerful economic entities. The decrease in the scale effect can be achieved in various ways. Reduction of risks in the implementation of investment projects is possible through more thorough study and subsequent additional training, as a rule, complex in structure and heterogeneous in quality deposits involved in operation. A set of basic and private principles of different levels and values has been formed, which should guide small and medium-sized enterprises in the planning, design and development of deposits in the polar zone of Russia. Its use in the preparation and decisionmaking allows at least partially to reduce the impact of complicating and costly production factors.

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Section: Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Concerning the principles of development of mineral resources in the polar zone of Russia by small enterprises

2018

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“…As with hydrocarbon extraction, mining raises questions of land‐use, for example in relation to indigenous reindeer herders in Northwest Russia (Dallmann et al ) or indigenous small‐scale miners in Greenland (Strandsbjerg 2014). Pointing to past experiences of Arctic industrialisation, Avango, Hacquebord, and Wråkberg () emphasise the need for environmental and socio‐economic factors to be taken into account when developing international mining and trade regulations (see also Heikkinen et al ; Loring et al ). Furthermore, the general understanding of social impacts and job‐creation relating to industrialisation needs to be improved across the Arctic states (Haley et al ).…”

Section: Utilising the Arcticmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theorising the Thaw: Geopolitics in a Changing Arctic

Bruun

Medby

2014

Geography Compass

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As the effects of climate change are becoming more and more pronounced, the Arctic region is attracting renewed attention from politicians, transnational corporations, and environmentalists alike, many of whom are based geographically far from the region itself. Interests span from the prospects of vast oil and mineral riches and shorter international shipping routes, to preserving what is often framed as a fragile, pristine environment. As a resource frontier and a wilderness, but also a homeland and a space of culture to its inhabitants, the Arctic is characterised by potentially conf licting geographical imaginaries and visions of both the present as well as the future of the region. Hence, the political geographies of the Arctic are both messy and complex. This paper examines some of the principal themes and issues of Arctic geopolitics and offers a discussion of how scholars of Political Geography have engaged the topic at a time when an increasing number of academics are directing their analytical gaze towards the North. Focusing on publications from the past decade, it aims to contextualise scholarly debates on Arctic geopolitics and illustrate the complexity and richness of the topic.

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“…Private companies, such as the Shell Corporation, have already begun to exploit offshore Arctic oil reserves, while Russia's Arctic mining efforts account for roughly 50 percent of the global supply of palladium, and 20 percent of the global supply of nickel. Driven by a range of factors, such as receding sea ice, improvements in sea and air transport, and a desire to obtain resources within Arctic lands and waters, increased human activity in the area is contributing to sustainability concerns pertaining to environmental health, the social well-being of native communities, and economic development for both local communities and international companies (Avango, Hacquebord, and Wråkberg 2014;Becker and Pollard 2016;Borgerson 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A sustainable Arctic: Making hard decisions

Trump

Kadenic

Linkov

2018

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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The Arctic is experiencing substantial increases in human activity in areas ranging from fossil fuel and mineral extraction to transport along Arctic waterways. Such actions may yield new sources of economic benefits and further objectives to promote national defense, yet they may also generate potential risks to the Arctic environment. As such, concerns from various stakeholders have been raised regarding how to make Arctic operations better meet sustainability goals and balance defense and economic objectives with environmental degradation. This article describes how decision analytical tools, such as multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA), may help identify policies and project proposals that minimize the potential for environmental degradation within a framework of maximizing economic, industrial, and defense objectives. Specifically, MCDA conducts value tradeoffs to assess the utility of various decision alternatives against disparate criteria; for this case, this includes the evaluation of Arctic operation sustainability. This article demonstrates through an example of industrial mining in Greenland how MCDA might serve as a tool to guide uncertain decisions for various Arctic projects, and potentially indicate opportunities to structure such projects to provide greater sustainability for their longer-term operations.

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Industrial extraction of Arctic natural resources since the sixteenth century: technoscience and geo-economics in the history of northern whaling and mining

Cited by 39 publications

References 0 publications

Concerning the principles of development of mineral resources in the polar zone of Russia by small enterprises

Concerning the principles of development of mineral resources in the polar zone of Russia by small enterprises

Theorising the Thaw: Geopolitics in a Changing Arctic

A sustainable Arctic: Making hard decisions

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