President Obama and the leaders of the five Nordic nations declared last Friday that they have common interests in protecting the rapidly changing Arctic.
Their statement, issued at a White House meeting, says the Arctic is a “globally unique region” that is especially vulnerable to climate change but poised for new development that could have ripple effects. It is also home to indigenous peoples with important local knowledge and whose rights must be respected, the statement says.
“Continuing to keep the Arctic region a zone of peace and stability is at the heart of our efforts,” the statement said.
The joint statement calls for the nations to forge ahead with efforts to slow climate change and protect the environment, including a shift away from fossil fuels, an area where Scandinavian countries are world leaders.
The nations also agreed in the statement to take a cautious approach to development.
”We will work towards the highest global standards, best international practice, and a precautionary approach, when considering new and existing commercial activities in the Arctic, including oil and gas operations,” the statement said.
The statement pledges a smooth transition on the Arctic Council from current U.S. leadership to Finnish chairmanship in 2017 and Icelandic chairmanship two years after that.
In many ways, the U.S.-Nordics statement echoes the Arctic goals described in a joint U.S.-Canada statementissued in March when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Obama at the White House.
Among them, a White House fact sheet pointed out, the United States, Canada and five Nordic countries control half of the Arctic marine territory that is subject to national jurisdiction – and available to respective nations for economic development.
Though the statement made several references to marine safety, the comments made by Obama and the Nordic leaders did not mention anything specific about the use of heavy fuel oil in Arctic waters.
Several environmentalists and Arctic organizations have pushed for a ban on the use of heavy fuel oil by vessels and, potentially, land-based facilities in the far north. The new Polar Code, approved by the International Maritime Organization last year and set to go into effect at the start of 2017, bans heavy fuel oil for ships traveling in Antarctic waters but has no such ban for ships using Arctic waters.
The lack of a reference to an Arctic heavy-oil ban in Friday’s statement was a disappointment, said Kevin Harun, Arctic program director for Pacific Environment. He noted that the Arctic Council has already identified a potential spill of heavy oil as the biggest threat to the marine environment. Ultimately, he said in an email, “the Arctic nations are going to have to deal with this enormous threat to Arctic communities and environment.”
THE STATEMENT:
The Arctic
The United States, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden affirm our commitment to safeguarding the Arctic environment while providing enhanced opportunities for sustainable development for all inhabitants of the Arctic, including indigenous peoples.
The Arctic is rapidly changing and attracting global attention. It is a globally unique region that provides livelihoods for its inhabitants, but is also one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. Rich with opportunities for transport, tourism, energy, and innovation, the Arctic is characterized by close cooperation on a broad range of issues between the United States and the Nordic Countries, together with our Arctic partners Canada and Russia. Continuing to keep the Arctic region a zone of peace and stability is at the heart of our efforts. We reaffirm the importance of maintaining the Arctic region based on universally recognized principles of international law including those reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The Arctic Council celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, reaffirming its commitment to cooperation and coordination on matters of common interest among the Arctic States and indigenous peoples of the region. As the preeminent high-level forum among the Arctic States, the Arctic Council has proven instrumental in addressing new challenges and opportunities, while retaining a core focus on environmental protection and sustainable development.
The United States and Nordic countries will continue to work actively in the Arctic Council to ensure progress on shared priorities. The work of the current U.S. chairmanship and subsequent Finnish and Icelandic chairmanships will be closely coordinated to ensure effective progress on these priorities.
We will strengthen our work, both within the Arctic and globally, to address the environmental challenges facing the region. We remain committed to managing the region with an ecosystem-based approach, which balances conservation and sustainable use of the environment. We are committed to the pursuit of international and national climate change goals. We will work towards the highest global standards, best international practice, and a precautionary approach, when considering new and existing commercial activities in the Arctic, including oil and gas operations.
The United States and the Nordic countries are committed to recognizing the rights of the indigenous and local peoples and we reaffirm our commitment to the unique role played by Arctic indigenous and local communities and their traditional and local knowledge.
We will advance scientifically based protection and conservation of areas of ecologically important marine, terrestrial and freshwater habitats, taking into account ecological resilience in a changing climate and national and global climate and environmental goals. We are dedicated to promote the active involvement of the people of the Arctic in the management and sustainable use of protected areas.
We are committed to deepen the knowledge and understanding of the Arctic, both inside and outside the region, to strengthen Arctic research and transdisciplinary science, and to encourage cooperation between higher education institutions and society as well as synergies between science and traditional and local knowledge. The Nordic countries welcome the White House Arctic Science Ministerial.
