ARCTIC: Biden's to Protect the Arctic & more – 21st Jan 2025

The EU's call to reduce Russian gas use, Norway's launch of a new Arctic satellite, rising zoonotic diseases in Canada, Sweden's northern ban on Chinese clothing, nuclear energy, and much more!

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Góðan daginn from BA! This is the Rorshok Arctic Update from the 21st of January twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what’s going down North of the Arctic Circle!

The future of the US Arctic under the new Trump administration, which was sworn into power on Monday the 20th, is uncertain. In President Biden’s final days, he enacted one last environmental protection in an attempt to preserve Arctic health. On Thursday the 16th, the US Interior Department announced plans to add environmental protections for more than 3 million acres, over 12,000 square kilometers, of the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve on the north coast.

The measures grant protection to subsistence resources like caribou and fish, vital for Native Alaskans. This decision followed consultations with nearly 100,000 Indigenous residents, who supported the Biden administration's focus on people and wildlife over profits.

The whole Arctic is preparing for the new Trump administration. On Wednesday the 15th, the Canadian Council of the Federation, a gathering of premiers from all the country’s provinces and territories, met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to plan a united front on the country’s trade relationship with the US. The leaders attended the meeting in an attempt to improve trade relations with President Trump, who has threatened to impose a twenty-five percent tariff on all Canadian exports to the US.

Speaking of deteriorating relationships, the EU is under pressure to adopt stricter measures against importing Russian gas. On Thursday the 16th, a group of ten EU member states, including Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, issued a joint appeal for an outright ban on all Russian gas imports. In the group’s appeal, they say that if a ban is not currently possible then the EU needs to begin a phased reduction. Most of the EU’s imported gas currently comes from the Russian Arctic.

There are already EU plans to reduce Arctic gas imports by twenty percent from March via a ban on specific shipping methods. But with gas imports from Russia hitting record highs in twenty twenty-four, the EU has a long way to go before it achieves its goal of ending energy imports from its eastern neighbour.

Russia’s Arctic is not only thinking about energy plans concerning natural gas since the cold temperatures make the Arctic perfect for nuclear power plants. On Thursday the 16th, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom reported that Akademik Lomonosov, the world's only floating nuclear power plant and the northernmost electricity-producing unit, has completed its first cycle. This means that the uranium powering the plant got used up after four years, so now they replace the uranium so that it runs for another four years.

Located in the East Siberian Sea, the facility began operation in twenty twenty and has reliably generated over a billion-kilowatt hours —enough to power almost 100,000 US homes for a year— to Chukotka’s grid, powering local communities and industrial projects. The refueling process will take several months but the plant’s success means Rosatom is planning additional floating nuclear power plants in the Arctic.

Norway’s plans for energy production in the Arctic are staying with oil and gas drilling. On Tuesday the 14th, the Norwegian Energy Minister announced that Norway had awarded stakes in over fifty offshore oil and gas exploration licenses to twenty companies. Even though this year’s licensing round was smaller than in twenty twenty-four, the energy ministry’s statement announced that in twenty twenty-six the areas being licensed will be almost entirely within the Arctic. While Norway is exploring oil and gas all along its coastline, this announcement confirms that the future of drilling in Norway is moving north.

As the ocean becomes more important to Norway’s economy, security needs are increasing. On Tuesday the 14th, Norway's microsatellite NorSat-4 launched successfully, improving maritime surveillance and national security. Developed by the Norwegian Coastal Administration and Space Agency, it collects signals to monitor ship traffic, detect illegal activities, and secure maritime borders. It also features a low-light camera for identifying ships illegally traveling without active GPS, and encrypted communication technology to prevent hacking.

NorSat-4 strengthens Norway's northern monitoring capabilities and will support the changing economic and defense needs of the Arctic Ocean.

Norway’s first spaceport, the Andøya station in far northern Norway, only opened in November but is already an important asset for NATO missions. On Thursday the 16th, the Norwegian Trade Minister announced that Norway and the US have signed an agreement to allow the US to launch from Andøya. The agreement allows for up to thirty US launches per year, which could be for scientific or military purposes.

Andøya has attracted governments from across Europe and is already one of the world’s largest spaceports, with the addition of the US government as a client, Andøya is set to play a huge role in Arctic technology and defense in the coming years.

There’s a new source of energy is being explored in Alaska. On Thursday the 16th, news outlet The Alaska Beacon reported that Alaska officials are preparing to hold a lease sale for geothermal exploration rights at Augustine Volcano, an active volcano on an island in southern Alaska. Although the state is populated with over 130 volcanoes, an energy project to harness the natural geothermal power has never been attempted in Alaska. If a project is successful, this massive source of renewable power could transform the energy industry in the state.

In other news, on Friday the 17th, the Danish and Greenlandic governments unveiled a major shift in evaluating parental capabilities for Greenlandic families. Previously, Danish social workers applied European cultural standards, often misinterpreting Greenlandic communication styles, such as silent facial expressions, as parental failings.

Starting on the 1st of May, assessments will be handled by a specialized unit with expertise in Greenlandic culture and language. This unit will also review past cases where psychological tests were used, with misleading evaluations prompting reassessments. Aqqaluaq Egede, Greenland’s Minister for Children, called the decision a vital step in addressing deep-rooted cultural misunderstandings.

Being respectful of Indigenous cultures and knowledge isn’t just polite, it might save your life. On Monday the 20th, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published new research offering guidance on seven zoonotic diseases, which are animal-borne infections, prevalent in the Canadian Arctic. Indigenous communities face heightened risks due to traditional lifestyles, and as a result, have developed the knowledge of how to traditionally combat these diseases.

Climate change is increasing the range of these infections and how dangerous they are, as they pass from wild Arctic animals to domestic pets. The authors urge clinicians to combine Inuit Traditional Knowledge with standard medical practices, to prepare for the spread of zoonotic infections throughout Canada.

Next to Sweden’s northernmost municipality, Luleå. On Wednesday the 15th, the Luleå government announced a ban on the resale of clothing from Chinese clothing companies. Chinese companies such as Shein have been very popular for their cheap clothing but many items end up being donated to second-hand stores.

Following complaints from second-hand stores in Luleå that they are overwhelmed with poor quality donations, and a report from the Swedish Chemicals Agency that showed these Chinese garments may contain dangerous levels of toxic chemicals, the local government has decided that instead of reselling the clothes, they will be incinerated and the energy created will go towards the local power grid.

To see the report on the chemicals present in Chinese clothing, take a look at the link in the show notes.

Lastly, the tourism boom in Iceland was feared to be over, with annual visitors in decline since a peak in twenty eighteen. However, according to an article by business publication Viðskiptablaðið from Thursday the 16th, twenty twenty-five is projected to be a record year for Icelandic tourism with over 2.3 million international visitors, an increase of 50,000 from twenty twenty-four and 100,000 more than in twenty twenty-three.

That prediction is complicated by a new cruise ship fee, which came into effect on the 1st of January. Cruise Iceland, the national cruise agency, released a statement on Monday the 13th, revealing that since the fee was imposed, over eighty cruise ship visits to Iceland have been canceled. The Icelandic government hopes to generate over 10 million US dollars with this fee, but it may cost the country a lot of visitors.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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