ARCTIC: Minerals & more – 11th Jun 2024

Góðan daginn from BA! This is the Rorshok Arctic Update from the 11th of June twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what’s going down North of the Arctic Circle!

Norway, Europe's largest source of oil and gas, may soon have a new role in the global energy market. On Thursday the 6th, the Norwegian mining agency Rare Earths Norway announced the discovery of the continent's largest source of rare earth minerals in the Telemark region. The site is estimated to contain nearly 9 million tonnes of minerals critical for developing renewable energy technologies. Alf Reistad, the general manager of the company, said that years of work lie ahead to extract these minerals. However, with this discovery, Europe will soon become self-sufficient in producing the technologies that will power the future.

Securing a healthy Arctic requires the best scientists to do groundbreaking research in a supportive environment. But this is not the case for scientists working today. According to a report published on Wednesday the 5th by a multinational team of women scientists in the journal PLOS Climate, 79% of women scientists working in polar science have had negative experiences while conducting fieldwork. Most of these negative experiences include issues like bullying and sexism, but a quarter of scientists reported deplorable conditions, including sexual harassment, violence, racism, and homophobia. The research found that very few polar expeditions have a clear policy to prevent such experiences and recommends all expeditions include a proper code of conduct to allow women to safely work to save the Arctic.

While a healthy Arctic might seem like a good idea, people are making sure to profit from the warming poles. As reported by the independent newspaper High North News on Tuesday the 4th, the Russian government has given the first non-ice class container ship a permit to travel along Russia’s Northern Sea Route. While some small ships have been traveling through the Arctic since twenty eighteen, this vessel will be the first non-ice-class container ship to ever navigate through the Arctic Ocean without assistance. Shipping companies worldwide will closely watch the vessel and the ship’s owner, Safetrans Line, a Hong Kong-based company, to see if the Arctic Ocean is now open to business for all.

The race to fill the Arctic Ocean with ships is picking up speed in Russia. On Thursday the 6th, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Novatek, the country’s largest natural gas producer, has moved 200 engineers from the Arctic LNG2 gas production facility to a shipyard in Vladivostok to assist in building new ships. International sanctions have paralyzed the LNG2 project, and many qualified men have been sent to fight in Ukraine. International sanctions are hampering Russia’s efforts to dominate the energy industry and the Arctic Ocean, and Novatek hopes moving its engineers will boost Russia’s aim to build thirteen new tankers by twenty thirty.

Alaska’s capital city, Juneau, announced on Monday the 3rd that it will limit the number of cruise ship tourists allowed to visit each day. The city, with a population of 32,000, has been receiving over 20,000 tourists daily during the summer season. Residents have long complained about the overwhelming number of visitors, and their concerns have finally been addressed. The new agreement will cap the daily visitors at 16,000. However, some residents feel this limit is still too high. According to the news agency, Alaska Beacon, a ballot is being introduced by local councilors to ban all cruise ships on Saturdays in Juneau.

A more pressing concern for Alaskans lies in their food. On Thursday the 6th, the US Environmental Protection Agency (or EPA) issued a declaration to Alaska's state government to update its water pollution laws. The federal government mandates that states review pollution laws every three years, but Alaska hasn't done so since two thousand three. The state is required to advise residents on safe fish consumption levels, and in two thousand three, the limit was set at under seven grams of fish per day. However, a twenty nineteen study by the Alaska Department of Fish showed that urban Alaskans eat about nine grams and Indigenous Alaskans consume almost 200 grams of fish daily, far exceeding the safe limit. The EPA has given the state government twelve months to update its water pollution laws or face federal intervention.

Creating renewable technology for use in the Arctic is difficult because of the severe weather conditions. However, the Canadian research group Polar Knowledge Canada announced on Friday the 7th that they have developed a wind turbine designed to work even in the high Arctic and its harsh climate. The Canadian territory of Nunavut is home to some of the strongest winds on earth, so creating a turbine that can survive the bitter colds and generate renewable energy could transform life in the territory which still relies on diesel fuel generators. This project is only the first in a series from Polar Knowledge Canada, which aims to create biofuels, and solar and hydrogen energy technology to work in the remote Arctic.

Iceland is trying to find solutions to its unique problems too. The Sundhnúkur volcano in southern Iceland is still erupting since it started again in late May, and the nearby town Grindavik remains evacuated. Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Iceland’s Finance Minister, announced on Friday the 7th that the government has applied to the Council of Europe Development Bank for a loan of over $700 million US dollars, which is the estimated cost of the aid schemes to repair Grindavik and assist any residents who wish to sell their properties to the government. Jóhannsson said that while the government has the money to fund the aid, it is applying for the money as a precaution, in case costs increase beyond expectation.

Over to Finland, as on Friday the 7th the ruling government survived a vote of no confidence in its environmental policies. In recent months, the Finnish government has created laws making it easier to build in protected areas and hunt endangered animals. As a result, the opposition Green Party introduced the no-confidence motion last month. However, the vote in Finland’s parliament followed party lines and was defeated by ninety-seven to fifty-six votes. Extinction Rebellion, a climate protest group, responded by holding a demonstration in Helsinki on Friday and Saturday last week and promised more demonstrations throughout June to protest how Finland’s government is treating its environment.

A savior from the Arctic might be coming from an unexpected source in Greenland. According to a report published on Tuesday the 4th by the University of Aarhus in the journal Microbiome, scientists discovered giant viruses on the Greenland ice sheet. These viruses are under three micrometers large which is microscopic, but about 200 times larger than an average virus. Giant viruses sound scary, but they feed on algae growing on the ice sheet. Algae absorb sunlight and cause ice to melt so the spread of these viruses is actually preventing ice in Greenland from melting. As this is a brand new discovery, the study says there is much to still learn about what else the viruses are doing in the Arctic, but, hopefully, giant viruses will be an unlikely ally in saving the Arctic.

And to close this edition, more about Greenland, as its film industry may be small but now it is award-winning. On Monday the 3rd at the Canadian Screen Awards, the Greenlandic documentary Twice Colonized took home the award for Best Feature Length Documentary. The documentary follows Aaju Peter, the renowned Greenlandic Inuit lawyer, who works to bring justice to Indigenous people across the Arctic who have had their land and cultures stolen by colonizers. In Greenland, the Council for Human Rights is celebrating the award win and hosting showings of the film across the country.

To learn more about the movie and find a place to see it yourself, check out the link in the show notes!

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

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