US Expands Aquatic Borders & more – 28th Dec 2023

Góðan daginn from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Arctic Update from the 28th of December twenty twenty three A quick summary of what’s going down North of the Arctic Circle!

On December 19th the US expanded its ocean floor claims securing rights to potentially resource-rich seabeds. The Extended Continental Shelf covers one million square kilometers, about twice the size of California, mainly in the Arctic and Bering Sea. The move, emphasizing sovereignty over the seabed, comes as the US seeks minerals crucial for technology and addresses national security concerns. While the State Department insists it's about geography, not resources, experts note the potential for seabed mining, oil and gas leasing. The extension includes an overlap with Canadian claims which may stir international reactions.

For the updated map of the US boundaries, the State Department has published an exact map of its new ocean claims. The link to view this is in the show notes.

Russia's Novatek, the largest liquid natural gas, or LNG, producer, has issued force majeure notifications to clients for future supplies from its Arctic LNG 2 project on December 21st, due to recent US sanctions. This move affects clients like China's Shenergy Group and Zheijang Energy, and Spain's Repsol. The Arctic LNG 2 project, crucial for Russia's LNG market share goal, already faces huge challenges with sanctions and lack of carriers, but this project suffered another huge setback on December 25th when foreign shareholders including China's CNOOC and CNPC, France's TotalEnergies, and Japan's Mitsui withdrew their backing in LNG 2. This may jeopardize long-term contracts, requiring Novatek to self-finance and sell gas on the spot market. Their initial investments stood at $21 billion US dollars.

Continuing on with Russia, the location of Russian political opposition figure Alexei Navalny has been a concern for the past weeks. On Tuesday the 25th it was confirmed that Navaly was sent to an Arctic penal colony deep within Russia’s arctic. Despite a tiring twenty-day journey to the colony known as the Polar Wolf, Navalny, forty-seven, is reportedly in excellent spirits according to a video released on the 26th. The prison, known for harsh conditions, is sixty km north of the Arctic Circle and was once part of the Soviet gulag system.

Over to Finland where relations with Russia continue to be frosty. On December 19th the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Finland’s ambassador Antti Helantera in response to Finland recently signing a defense agreement with the US. The purpose of the visit, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, is to inform Finland that Russia will not be ignoring NATO’s military buildup and will take countermeasures against any further military action on the border. Russia emphasizes that the responsibility for peace on the border lies with Finland.

Now to Denmark as it prepares to take over chairmanship of the Nordic Defence Cooperation on January 1st. In a statement released by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 22nd, it was confirmed that Copenhagen is set to prioritize the Arctic and North Atlantic. The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted the Arctic's strategic importance amid growing security concerns, citing increased military activity and potential cooperation between Russia and China. Emphasizing a commitment to a low-conflict North, Denmark aims to enhance surveillance capabilities, foster closer Nordic cooperation, and address challenges outlined in NATO's twenty twenty two Strategic Concept.

Next in Canada where the Canadian federal government announced on Wednesday the 26th that it is providing $84 million Canadian dollars, over $60 million US dollars, in disaster assistance funding to the Northwest Territories (NWT) to aid recovery from the devastating twenty twenty three wildfires. The funding is expected to be the first in a series, with the NWT's initial cost estimate exceeding $100 million. The fires burned over four million hectares, causing widespread damage, evacuations, and impacting communities. The federal assistance, which should apply to up to 90% of eligible claims, aims to expedite recovery efforts, including rebuilding homes and businesses. The NWT government expressed gratitude for the prompt funding.

Remaining in Canada where Nunavik and Québec’s northern regions have received a huge funding boost through a new five year plan which will infuse $2.6 billion Canadian dollars, about $2 billion US dollars, into developing Québec’s Arctic communities. The plan was announced on December 22nd by Québec’s government. Its Northern Action Plan for twenty twenty three -twenty twenty eight includes forty-five new projects such as finalizing access to high-speed internet in Nunavik, building youth centers across the North, and building new housing in communities. Inuit representatives have expressed their satisfaction with the plan as they will receive tools to improve education and entrepreneurship.

In Alaska, the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, once North America's largest, has dwindled to 150,000 from 160,000 in a year, with a significant decline since twenty seventeen when it numbered over 250,000. These numbers were confirmed at the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group meeting on December 19th. The herd, critical to Indigenous communities for food and cultural significance, faces threats from climate change. The global trend of declining caribou and reindeer herds, linked to climate change and industrial development, impacts ecosystems. Grazing caribou help preserve Arctic landscapes, slowing shrub growth, reducing carbon emissions, and maintaining reflective snow cover, countering the Arctic's warming. Keeping a healthy population is critical to both the people and environment in the Arctic.

You might not have known it, but there has been a fifty year war between Canada and Denmark. On December 21st, it finally ended just as it began, peacefully and without harm. The Whiskey War began in nineteen seventy three over the island known as Tartupaluk which lies between Greenland and Canada. With both Denmark and Canada claiming ownership over the island, warships on patrol would routinely plant their own flag on the island and remove the other nations’. Reflecting the good relations between the countries, a bottle of whiskey would be left by the flag for the next visitors to enjoy while they swapped the flag. However, a formal border splitting the island in half was finally ratified by Denmark on the 21st, ending the conflict for good.

Arctic pollution is a huge problem and sometimes even the most unusual pollutants can be found in the most remote regions. In a report published on December 20th by the University of Venice, researchers found traces of sunscreen agents at the North Pole and on Svalbard's glaciers. The study reveals the presence of UV filters and fragrance materials, some never identified in Arctic snow before. Deposited mainly in winter, these contaminants originate from lower latitudes due to long-range atmospheric transport. Winter concentrations coincide with Arctic night, ruling out local sunscreen use. The study aids environmental protection efforts in the Arctic, crucial amid climate change, highlighting the need to understand contaminant re-emission during snowmelt and their impact on the changing polar ecosystem.

Good news for Grindavík residents! After the recent volcanic eruption near Sýlingafell in Iceland, authorities are downgrading the alert status, allowing residents to return and stay overnight starting December 23rd. Christmas celebrations are back on for Grindavík. The situation will be reassessed on December 27th. Although a significant risk of natural disasters remains, the volcanic activity near Sundhnúkagígar has shown signs of cessation, prompting the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police to shift the alert status from Emergency down to Danger. Festivities are set to resume!

Finally this week, happy new year! Not yet you say? Well the Chuckchi people of northern Siberia celebrated their New Year overnight from 21st to 22nd December. Their holiday is named Pegytti and comes from the ascent of a ceremonial star known to astronomers as Altair. Traditionally, the holiday begins with lighting a ritual fire, and performing dances and songs of goodness and light. Shamans perform ritual sacrifices of reindeer and tell myths and legends on the festive night. This is all to ensure the coming year is blessed by the spirits.

Almost every Indigenous community in Russia, of which there are many, has a different day for New Year. For a breakdown of all the new years celebrations and some amazing photographs of the ceremonies, take a look at the article published by Russia Beyond, link in the show notes.

Aaand that's it for this week!

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