ARCTIC: Sanctions & more – 9th Apr 2024

Góðan daginn from BA! This is the Rorshok Arctic Update from the 9th of April twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what’s going down North of the Arctic Circle!

Russia’s ambitious liquid natural gas project, Arctic LNG2, is suffering more setbacks this week. Reuters reported on Thursday the 4th that Novatek, Russia's national energy company, must halt gas production at its Arctic LNG2 facility due to international sanctions. These sanctions have deprived the project of ice-class vessels necessary for gas export. According to anonymous industry sources that Reuters cited, Novatek is considering suspending Arctic LNG2 development and shifting focus to its Murmansk facility, situated below the Arctic and not reliant on ice-class vessels. Originally slated to be Russia's largest gas plant, Arctic LNG2's setbacks are hindering the country's energy ambitions, delivering a victory for Western nations behind the sanctions.

On that note about Russia, the prospect of improved international relations with the country continues to dim. Finland, which closed its border with Russia last December, has repeatedly delayed its reopening. On Thursday the 4th, Mari Rantanen, Finland’s Interior Minister, announced that the border would remain closed indefinitely. This decision stems from Russia's alleged tactic of channeling thousands of asylum seekers into Finland to sow internal discord. Rantanen's statement indicates that the border will remain shut until the threat of sudden mass immigration from Russia subsides.

Iceland's political landscape is poised for a significant shift as Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir announced her unexpected resignation on Friday the 5th after an eleven-year tenure. However, Jakobsdóttir isn't exiting politics; instead, she's entering the upcoming Presidential election in June. The presidential role in Iceland operates outside the party and parliamentary structure, offering Jakobsdóttir a way to serve the country without the internal party strife. A new Prime Minister has yet to be confirmed as Jakobsdóttir’s resignation came as a shock to even her own party. Her candidacy sets up a notable contest against Jón Gnarr, the former Reykjavík mayor and comedian who steered the city through the Icelandic Financial Crisis of twenty ten.

In Norway, recent decisions to bolster military spending are quickly materializing. Bjørn Arild Gram, the Minister of Defence, announced on Wednesday the 3rd that the Norwegian Government is reviving the Andøya Air Station in the far north, which has been closed since last June. This move marks Norway's commitment to Arctic surveillance, with the station tasked to monitor the northern border with Russia using advanced long-range drones. Situated near the new Andøya spaceport, set to be Europe's primary space facility, the expanded air base will fortify security for the burgeoning era of space exploration.

This wasn’t the only Norwegian military announcement this week. On Friday the 5th, Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway’s Prime Minister, presented the long-awaited Long Term Defence Plan. This plan confirms the recent reports that Norway is significantly increasing military spending. The military will be expanding from one to three brigades. Two of them will be entirely based in Arctic Norway. This move signals a militarization of Norway's northern counties, with plans for anti-aircraft weaponry, artillery battalions, and other installations in the Finnmark region, previously demilitarized as a gesture of solidarity with Russia.

Speaking of space, on Thursday the 4th, the European Space Agency revealed that it is launching a new satellite specifically to improve Arctic weather forecasting. The Arctic Weather Satellite will launch from California in June and is expected to operate for five years with other weather satellites to make Arctic weather forecasting faster and more accurate than ever.

Great news for the long-term health of Norway and Canada's oceans arrived on Tuesday the 2nd. The International Marine Organization, the UN body regulating ocean activities, approved the establishment of two new emission control areas in Arctic waters belonging to Norway and Canada. These regulations will restrict pollutants in vessel fuels to 0.1 percent of fuel burned. The emission zone comprises almost all of Norway’s coastline, which is home to two of the busiest shipping lanes for oil and gas tankers. The regulation will come into effect in twenty twenty-six and it should significantly reduce air pollution across Norway and parts of Canada.

To know more about efforts to make the Arctic cleaner, head over to the Clean Arctic Alliance website. Link in the show notes!

Sweden’s Arctic is getting a big economic boost. On Tuesday the 2nd, the steel company SSAB announced they are building a new state-of-the-art fossil-fuel-free steel mill in Luleå, Northern Sweden. The company will be investing almost $5 billion US dollars into developing this mill. With Swedish steel production moving to this plant over time, SSAB believes their new mill will reduce the country’s carbon emissions by a massive seven percent. The mill is due to be ready for production by twenty twenty-eight, reaching full production capacity by twenty twenty-nine.

In other news, In a crucial move to protect the declining chinook salmon population, the US and Canadian governments have jointly announced a significant measure. On Monday the 1st, fishery agencies from both nations announced an agreement suspending all chinook salmon fishing in the Yukon River for the next seven years. Last year, the population count reached only 17,000 salmon, and the hope is that this extended suspension will allow the population to recover to at least 70,000. While subsistence fishing for Indigenous tribes is under consideration, it remains prohibited for now. Despite this, First Nation communities largely support the decision.

Alaskans may be able to agree on salmon, but not about their students. High school students held a statewide protest on Thursday the 4th against the decision of Mike Dunleavy, the state governor, to veto a key education funding bill last month. The bill would have been Alaska’s first major education funding boost since twenty seventeen but the veto ensures Alaskan schools remain underfunded. Alaska’s Public Media Agency approached Dunleavy about the protest on Thursday and he responded by saying he encourages all Alaskans to exercise their First Amendment rights and that he supports an increase in education funding.

Still in Alaska, the oil and gas industry plays a significant role. According to a document by the US Justice Department that the Anchorage District Court released on Friday the 5th, a decision regarding oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge National Park is set for the 1st of July. Former President Trump sold leases for drilling oil in the protected area during his tenure in twenty twenty, but Gwich’in tribal governments delayed the drilling by filing a lawsuit. The suit argues that drilling violates their cultural and traditional rights and threatens an important caribou population. The Biden administration opposes oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge. However, they cannot deny the lease unless the legal study finds that it violates the rights of the Gwich’in people.

Children in Canada’s north need help too, but thankfully they are receiving it. On Monday the 1st, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new billion-dollar, five-year project that aims to alleviate food insecurity in Nunavut. The released plan notes that almost half of children in Nunavut struggle with food security, far above the national average of eighteen percent. The program aims to provide food to the 400,000 children of Nunavut who are not currently receiving nutritional help and ensure that by the next school year all children in the province are being provided regular, healthy meals.

More about Canada in the far north… Taking a flight isn’t a luxury but often the only way to travel around the snowy landscape. Fortunately, on Tuesday the 4th, the Quebec government announced that they are providing about $70 million US dollars to improve airports in the Nunavik region. They will fund multiple projects at seven different airports in the region, focusing on making repairs and enabling future economic development.

Finally, this week brings a treasure trove of Arctic history to the public eye. On Thursday the 4th, the government of Canada’s North Western Territories unveiled approximately 1,000 photos donated by retired pilot Tim Garrish who documented his over fifty years flying over the Arctic. These images provide a captivating visual journey through decades of Arctic transformation. Wanna see the pics? Follow the link in the show notes.

We want to invite you to take a look at one of Rorshok's other projects. The Daily Knowledge is a daily pocket newspaper that comes out Monday through Friday. It is in our Ourzine format, a little booklet that you have to print in order to read. In the Daily Knowledge ourzine you’ll find a collection of interesting newsletters and selected articles that take about an hour to read. Visit rorshok.com/ourzines/thedailyknowledge/ to find the latest editions. The link will also be in the show notes.

Bless bless