ARCTIC: Gas & more – 21st May 2024

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

Europe's energy shift is reshaping the Arctic. After Russia's twenty twenty-two invasion of Ukraine, Europe sought new natural gas suppliers. Norway, and its massive reserves of oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean, have taken this crown. Television network Bloomberg reported on Tuesday the 14th that Norway has become Europe’s main supplier of natural gas, providing thirty percent of the continent’s gas. This energy shift promises to be extremely profitable, the latest figures from the Norwegian government show that the nation earned over 130 billion US dollars from gas exports in twenty twenty-two. It slightly decreased in twenty twenty-three to about 120 billion, but in twenty twenty-four it has now risen to Europe's highest. With the government recently approving new oil and gas fields in the northern ocean, Norway’s Arctic resources will likely continue to meet Europe’s growing energy needs.

Despite recent tensions, Arctic nations still find opportunities for cooperation. Reuters reported on Tuesday the 14th, that the eight Arctic nations, including Russia, participated in a major disaster response exercise. This involved a simulated oil spill off Norway’s northern coast and marked the first significant Arctic Council project that included Russia since the Ukraine invasion. This exercise offers hope that, despite international tensions, these nations can still collaborate on critical issues.

Moving on, the Arctic is melting, opening new avenues for human development, and Russia plans to capitalize on this. On Tuesday the 14th, the Ministry of Eastern and Arctic Development, said that Russia had outlined ten new priorities for developing its remote regions by twenty thirty. These include creating new transport corridors from the north into Asia to boost exports, tripling the number of tourists, and enhancing military capabilities in the north. The goal is to transform Russia's Arctic region into a thriving economic and cultural hub, shedding its image as a remote and forgotten area by twenty thirty.

In other news, security is one of the main concerns for every Arctic nation and while we often think of soldiers and guns, cyber security is just as important. A High North News reported on Thursday the 16th that Finland, Iceland, and Sweden participated in Locked Shields twenty twenty-four, the world’s largest cyber defense exercise. This is a cybersecurity drill that requires security experts from over forty countries to thwart over 8,000 attacks aimed at taking down financial institutions. While Finland got second place after teaming up with Poland, Latvia came in first.

On another note, a new era is dawning in the Faroe Islands. On Monday the 13th, the Faroese parliament passed the nation’s new Arctic policy. The government aims to become a key partner for the Arctic Council, strengthening international cooperation and promoting the Arctic Circle as a low-tension region. Even though they are under the Danish Crown, the Faroe Islands plan to seek independent representation in all international organizations affecting the Arctic, instead of working under Danish representation. The policy commits the Faroe Islands to reducing climate emissions by nearly half by twenty thirty, a significant shift from the previous twenty eleven strategy which did not have climate change as a national priority, highlighting their dedication to a healthier Arctic for all.

This wasn't the only significant political move in the Arctic. On Thursday the 16th, after over twenty years and eleven governments, Greenland's parliament finally passed a new fisheries act. The new act was passed with twenty-one votes in favor and just ten against, indicating broad support for the bill. The act isn’t without critics though, state-owned fishing company Royal Greenland expressed concern on the 2nd of May, saying that if the company is subject to the same rules as private companies under the new fisheries law, there might be mass unemployment in Greenland. Despite these concerns, the bill's passage marks a major shift in the Greenlandic industry.

This was a busy week for passing important political bills and Alaska took until the last minute to get some important work done. With Alaska’s legislature taking a summer break on Thursday the 16th, lawmakers were working until midnight on Wednesday the 15th to pass dozens of bills. Among the many new draft laws were the approval of the state annual budget worth over 11 billion dollars, a one-time funding boost for schools, the improvement of the transport of renewable energy into cities, and a widespread new crime bill increasing the penalties for drug use and distribution.

Alaska and Canada are neighbors who need to collaborate on various shared goals. On Thursday the 16th, Natural Resources Canada and the US Department of Defense announced a joint funding package of over $30 million US dollars to support mining companies Fortune Minerals and Lomiko Metals. This funding will boost two mineral projects in Canada’s Arctic, focusing on extracting bismuth, cobalt, and graphite, all minerals critical for new renewable energy projects. This marks the first joint funding effort by Canada and the US for mineral projects. According to the US Department of Defense, this initiative aims to strengthen the North American supply chain, enhancing US national security.

Canada is also supporting its northern women too. On Sunday the 19th, Canadian news agency CBC News reported that the national aid service, Food Banks Canada, has received over 13 million US dollars of federal funding to distribute free menstrual products to low-income and vulnerable women across Canada’s northern and most remote regions. A survey conducted by the federal government last year found that three-quarters of Indigenous women reported that they have regular trouble accessing period products. This new program comes as a response and aims to ensure every woman in every corner of Canada can access their basic hygienic needs.

Up next, as Arctic waters warm, there's more than just ice to worry about. Many sea creatures are migrating in response to changing temperatures, and a surprising beneficiary of warmer waters is the jellyfish. A new paper published on Wednesday the 15th by The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography warns that the Arctic could experience a jellification — a surge in jellyfish populations due to climate change. The biggest concern is that these jellyfish will outcompete local fish for food, potentially collapsing fish stocks across the Arctic. This has already happened in Svalbard in recent years. The report urges governments to prepare for this scenario to prevent severe disruptions to food supplies and local economies.

Speaking of Svalbard, tourism in the Arctic islands is about to change drastically. On Thursday the 16th, Visit Svalbard, the Svalbard Tourism Agency, published a report outlining the responsible tourism development in Svalbard. The report has created a Tolerance Limit Analysis, which will measure all tourist activities based on their environmental impact. The document acknowledges this will especially affect cruise agencies, and new reduced limits to the number of visiting cruise ships will need to be calculated. Visit Svalbard aims to declare the islands as a sustainable destination for all tourists by twenty twenty-five in order to reassure visitors that their time spent in Svalbard is not damaging the vulnerable environment.

And to close this edition, some good news for Arctic wildlife. On Wednesday the 15th, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada released a new report updating the health status of Arctic animals. The narwhal, often called the unicorn of the sea, is no longer at risk of extinction. It has been listed as a species of special concern since two thousand four, but the population has stabilized in recent years. These adaptable animals have adjusted their behavior as the Arctic changes rapidly. The narwhal's positive outlook offers hope that they will continue to thrive and avoid the threat of extinction in the future.

The report covers the status of many different Canadian animals. If you want to see how Canada’s creatures are doing in twenty twenty-four, follow the link to the full report in the show notes!

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

We appreciate all our listeners on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms, especially those who subscribe and share the show with their friends and loved ones! If you ever want to share an episode by sending a small MP3 file to someone through a messaging app, you can download every episode directly from our website at www.rorshok.com/arctic. The link is also available in the show notes. Thank you!

Bless bless