Norway will take up the Arctic Council‘s baton from Russia in May, under very special circumstances in the history of the council, as Russia has been suspended in the Arctic Council following the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The upcoming Norwegian chairship is likely to be the most important in the Arctic Council‘s history. Through four priority topics: the oceans; climate and environment; sustainable economic development; and people in the north, Norway seeks to focus on the council’s core tasks. The four thematic priorities reflect long-term Norwegian priorities for the Arctic and for Norway’s Arctic policy. Climate and environment is an area that needs Russian cooperation, as there is a common interest in collecting data from several territories, including Russia, in order to make the climate models work. In areas such as Svalbard, Northern Norway, and Northern Russia, there are concurrent problems with thawing permafrost, among other things: hopefully, there will be some room for contact about these issues, even when major political contact is not possible. Without Russia, which holds major parts of the Arctic coastline, the cooperation has been amputated, and without its data it is more difficult to understand how we can “save the Arctic”.
Read more on Highnorthnews.com and on Regjeringen.no
