Canadian Security Intelligence Service Warn Inuit Leaders & more–17th Oct 2023

Góðan daginn from BA! This is Rorshok Arctic Update from the 17th of October twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what’s going down North of the Arctic Circle!

In the far reaches of the Canadian north, a story unfolds of intrigue and secrecy. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service sounded a warning on Friday the 13th to Inuit leaders. The Service said that foreign adversaries could exploit infrastructure gaps in the Arctic region, such as housing shortages and unreliable ice highways. China and Russia are considered the primary threats with a keen interest in accessing the rich natural resources of the Arctic. As foreign actors seek access to Canada through research projects and partnerships, Inuit leaders are left grappling with the complexities of safeguarding their homeland’s security while ensuring their communities are supported through proper investment.

According to data from Russia's environmental oversight agency published on Thursday the 12th of October, Norilsk Nickel and Gazprom, two major Russian oil and gas companies, are the biggest polluters in the Arctic region. Norilsk Nickel has been contributing over 1.9 million tons of emissions and Gazprom is emitting slightly over 2.4 million tons per year. In comparison, the entire industrial emissions in Canada's Arctic zone in twenty twenty-one amounted to 33,000 tons and Alaska's emissions in the same year totaled 460,000 tons. Even though it is true that the numbers of these two major Russian companies put their pollution levels beyond any other country, the agency’s exact numbers should be taken with caution as the entity regularly releases inaccurate and underestimated figures.

Russia is facing a perplexing budgetary dilemma following the new draft national budget released on Friday the 13th of October. As the nation ramps up military spending, allocating a staggering sixty-eight percent increase in the draft national budget for twenty twenty-four, the civilian fleet of nuclear icebreakers is bearing the brunt of budget cuts. The Russian government plans to slash funding for these powerful icebreaking vessels by ten billion rubles or 100 million dollars from twenty twenty-four to twenty twenty-six. This decision comes amid heightened military expenditure, constituting nearly thirty percent of the total budget. This will make Russia’s goal of increasing shipping in the Arctic Ocean a difficult prospect, as it balances military spending and other national industries.

In a pioneering journey across the Arctic, Chinese shipping company NewNew Shipping Line has accomplished the inaugural round-trip of a regular liner service connecting China to western Russia on Monday the 9th. The Northern Shipping Route is usually reserved for oil and gas exploration, but the ship NewNew Polar Bear is the first regular shipping liner to follow the route. The journey not only marks the company's venture into regular container shipping in the Arctic but is also the first step towards establishing a seasonal liner service across these icy waters. Following the success of NewNew Polar Bear, the company plans to add up to ten more container ships on this route.

Across northern Europe, a chain of events is rattling the foundations of energy security. It all began in September twenty twenty-two when mysterious explosions rocked the Nord Stream gas pipelines, sending shockwaves through the region's energy landscape. Now the recent damage to a gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia on Friday the 13th has intensified concerns. European investigators are pondering whether this was an act of deliberate sabotage. Finland is tightening security measures at its Inkoo port as part of broader efforts to fortify security around energy installations. Norway and Lithuania are also stepping up security at their onshore energy facilities.

Although the worries of the Arctic might seem a long way away for most people, a House of Commons committee released a report on Friday the 13th, which predicted how the melting Arctic ice could impact homes and settlements across the UK. MPs estimate that up to 1.5 million UK homes could face flooding by twenty eighty and areas of North Wales and eastern England could be submerged as early as twenty fifty. The report confirms that greenhouse gasses have already heated the atmosphere enough to guarantee up to fifty millimeters of global sea rise by two thousand and one hundred, partly due to Arctic ice melting.

A new chapter in space exploration is about to unfold in Northern Norway. On the 2nd of November, the Andøya Spaceport will make history as it will be the first spaceport for satellite launches on the European mainland. However, this is attracting unwanted interest. The Norwegian Intelligence Service highlights political, digital, and economic threats from Russia and China. There has already been an increase in Russian cyber attacks, acquisition of property, and tourism in the area. In an interview with High North News on Friday the 13th, Heidi Kløkstad, the Chief of Police in Nordland, revealed the Norwegian government is allocating 150 million Norwegian Krone, about $14 million dollars, for security measures at Andøya Spaceport.

In the tranquil Arctic islands of Svalbard, local council elections took place on Monday the 9th. As the Liberal Party, Venstre, celebrated their victory, a shadow of discontent lingered in the town. Prior to this year, non-Norwegians living in Svalbard for three years were allowed to vote. But this year the Ministry of Justice altered the voting rights of non-Norwegians. Now three years of residence on the Norwegian mainland are required to vote in Svalbard’s elections. At a silent protest on election day, activists placed anonymous messages outside of polling stations such as "Local for fifteen years”. Svalbard is heralded as a beacon of inclusivity, but this change worries residents that a time of exclusion and isolation is coming to the islands.

Humpback whales were once a rare sighting in the Arctic Ocean. But a recent study, co-authored by hunter Qaiyaan Harcharek, chronicles the increase of humpback whales in northern Alaska. The study found the rate of whale sightings between twenty seventeen and twenty nineteen doubled when compared to the prior three years. Climate change, driven by warming seas and receding ice, caused this newfound presence in Arctic waters. The humpbacks seem to have adjusted their migratory patterns in response. These humpback whales will be competing for the same food as bowhead and beluga whales, reducing their health and maximum population. This will then damage the Iñupiat communities which are reliant on hunting bowheads and belugas.

This week a contentious battle over one of the world's largest deposits of rare earth minerals has begun. Australian mining company Greenland Minerals had been contracted in twenty fifteen to extract uranium from the Kuannersiut mountain deposit in South Greenland, but in twenty twenty-one the Greenlandic government banned all uranium mining in order to preserve its fragile environment. This led to the company seeking compensation of up to $11.5 billion dollars for lost revenue.

Protests by Norway's indigenous Sami people continued all week against the government's decision to allow wind turbines on Sami grazing land. They blocked entrances to eleven government ministries in Oslo and then marched to the Royal Palace to appeal directly to King Harald V. They cited a Supreme Court ruling from twenty twenty-one that declared these wind turbines to be in violation of their human rights. The licenses granted for the turbines were deemed "invalid." However, the government has not dismantled them, leading to ongoing tensions. Representatives of the demonstrators, including youth leader Elle Nystad and Greta Thunberg, have successfully been granted an audience with King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon.

In the capital of Iceland, Reykjavík, a protest against open-sea aquaculture drew a significant crowd at Austurvöllur Square on Saturday the 14th. The demonstrators expressed their discontent over the expansion of open-sea salmon farming. The protest aimed to raise awareness about the environmental impact of salmon farming, with reports of escaped fish in Icelandic waters causing harm to wild salmon stocks.

In solidarity with the protest, musicians Björk and Rosalía released a protest song against the controversial salmon farming practice. Profits from the new song will go toward the fight against salmon farming in Iceland.

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

Before we leave, we have a quick question for those following us for a while. How are we doing on bias? Ax grinding? We try to be independent and stick to the facts and context with favor and fear of none. How are we doing? Do we seem even a teensy bit biased? We are happy to see the Rorshok Arctic community is growing and want to be the best at what we do! Tell us your thoughts and opinions at podcast@rorshok.com

Ha Det