The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 10 June, 2024

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Arctic Representation in The European Parliament

As reported by The Barents Observer on June 10, three candidates from Northern Finland and Sweden have secured seats in the European Parliament for the term 2024-2029. Finland elected Katri Kulmuni (Center Party) from Tornio and Sebastian Tynkkynen (Finns Party) from Oulu, while Sweden elected Jonas Sjöstedt (Left Party) from Umeå. Far-right parties made gains across Europe, but the Nordic countries bucked this trend as support for the far-right fell in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden in this election. (The Barents Observer)

Take 1: The recent European Union parliamentary election was, to some extent, a referendum on the European Green Deal, a crucial piece of legislation for the Arctic. The Green Deal’s primary goal is to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to combat climate change. Additionally, its blue economy provisions aim to reduce pollution, support climate adaptation, and promote sustainable management of the marine environment. The election results, which showed the center holding with a slight shift to the right, reflect some skepticism among the electorate regarding the legislation. While a rollback is unlikely, passing new climate legislation will be challenging in this next term. Katri Kulmuni, Sebastian Tynkkynen, and Jonas Sjöstedt will play important roles in the upcoming debates. Kulmuni, who received most of her votes from the Lapland electoral district, represents the Center Party. She has criticized the lack of clarity in EU regulations concerning natural resource use. Sebastian Tynkkynen, the sole parliamentarian for the Finns Party, is known for his controversial rhetoric and violations of Finnish hate speech laws. Jonas Sjöstedt, the former leader of Sweden’s Left Party, is the most experienced, having served in both the Swedish Parliament and the European Parliament including time on the European Union’s Environment Committee. This trio will be key representatives of Arctic interests once the post-election sorting is settled and the European Parliament begins its work. (Modern Diplomacy, Reuters, The Barents Observer, The Barents Observer) 

Airlines Add Arctic Routes to Ivalo and Tromsø

The Barents Observer reported on June 11 that easyJet will be adding new flights from Milan, Geneva, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Bristol, and Manchester to Tromsø, Norway this winter. In January 2024, Tromsø experienced a 126% increase in passenger traffic on international flights compared to the previous January. This growth is driven by increased accessibility and improved quality of tourist offerings, such as northern lights tours, whale safaris, and reindeer sledding. (The Barents Observer)

Take 2: New flights and routes to Arctic destinations bring significant benefits to the tourism industry and local economies, but they also incur environmental costs, including aircraft noise, air quality degradation near airports, water and soil pollution, and waste management challenges. Beginning in early December, British Airways will also be introducing a new route from London’s Gatwick Airport to Ivalo in Finnish Lapland. In response to the growth in tourism, several airports in the Arctic region have been expanded in recent years. Despite global concerns about aviation emissions, which the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contends contributes to 3.5% of climate change, local stakeholders in Finland and Norway have continued to support Arctic tourism development. At Ivalo Airport, a new terminal opened in 2015, followed by water treatment improvements in 2019 as part of a 55-million-euro investment by Finavia in Lapland. The expanded apron at Ivalo is designed to collect glycol used in the de-icing process to prevent it from contaminating local waters, though it does not capture all runoff, leaving some environmental impact. Tromsø Airport also underwent expansion in 2023 to accommodate increased tourist traffic. Finland and Sweden are committed to the sustainable growth of Arctic tourism, and their environmentally conscious infrastructure projects demonstrate this commitment. However, these efforts alone cannot fully mitigate the environmental impacts of increased human activity. Relevant stakeholders should consider reinvesting revenue from Arctic tourism into developing new technologies and approaches to further reduce its environmental footprint. (Finavia, International Airport Review, International Airport Review, NOAA, The Barents Observer, The Barents Observer, The Barents Observer, Wataha)

Citizen Science or Greenwashing on Arctic Cruises?

On June 7, High North News published an interview with Elina Hutton, a researcher at the University of Lapland, discussing the debate over ‘citizen science’ cruises and ‘greenwashing’ in the Arctic. . Hutton asserts that science cruises offered by companies such as Ponant, Lindblad, Hurtigruten, and Bark Europa are unsustainable and that their environmental claims are misleading. These cruises provide tourists with the opportunity to join expeditions with professional scientists and participate in scientific activities along the way. (High North News)

Take 3: Science cruises offer a unique opportunity to educate visitors about the environmental and social challenges in the Arctic. As tourism increases in the region, ‘citizen science’ initiatives like these cruises are designed to benefit multiple stakeholders. However, the importance of mitigating the risks associated with human activity in the Arctic remains paramount, whether that activity is scientific or recreational. It is also crucial to differentiate genuine science cruise offerings from those that are merely marketing gimmicks, enabling informed consumers to make the best choices for their Arctic adventures. The May 2024 report, “Combining Polar Cruise Tourism and Science Practices,” found that 77% of tourists surveyed in their 2022 case study would recommend that tour operators and scientific organizations increase such offerings. Additionally, 51% of scientists supported the idea. While it is unsurprising that scientists are less enthusiastic than tourists about these partnerships, aligning goals between tourists and scientists can yield positive outcomes. Researcher Elina Hutton rightly points out that cruise tourism has environmental impacts. Therefore, science cruises should be designed in accordance with the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Ten Principles for Arctic Tourism. In principle, they should already be well aligned with principle #9: “Make your trip an opportunity to learn about the Arctic.” (Annals of Tourism Research, High North News)

Russia’s Military Displays and Information Operations

As reported by The Barents Observer on June 12, a group of Russian military personnel, including decorated war veterans from Ukraine, recently visited the North Pole. The group waved both the Russian flag and the Z-symbol, widely recognized for its association with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The visit was part of the “Time for Heroes” initiative, launched by President Vladimir Putin to prepare combat-experienced soldiers for future leadership roles in the government and corporate sectors, including the Ministry of Defense and the State Duma. The expedition, consisting of 83 veterans with 274 awards, departed from Murmansk via nuclear icebreaker and plans to visit Franz Josef Land before returning. (The Barents Observer)

Take 4: Russia has increasingly incorporated the Arctic into its information operations over the past year. This week, in addition to the ‘glee circle’ at the North Pole, warships from the Northern Fleet paraded in Havana Bay on June 12. The flotilla currently in Cuba sailed from the Kola Peninsula on May 17. In March, four Tu-95MS bombers took off from Olenya Air Base near Murmansk and launched strikes on Ukraine, with one missile violating Polish airspace. With these operations, Russia aims to leverage its history and highlight its Arctic presence in its propaganda to convince the global audience that it remains a great power. The imperialist-era-inspired Z flag at the North Pole and the naval parade in Cuba are intended to remind viewers of Russia’s imperial past and the near nuclear confrontation during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Russia wants to connect the Arctic to operations in Ukraine and exercises off the coast of Florida to promote a narrative that it is a global power on par with the United States and China. However, the Russian military’s performance in Ukraine, demographic decline, and growing reliance on China tell a different story. In reality, Russian elites must be concerned about the war’s costs in lives and resources, the strategic setback of Finland and Sweden joining NATO, and Russia’s power position relative to China. (The Barents Observer, The Barents Observer, The Barents Observer, The New York Times) 

New Sanctions Target Russian Energy Projects in the Arctic

High North News reported on June 13 that the United States Treasury Department added Russia’s Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) projects Obsky LNG, Arctic LNG 1, and Arctic LNG 3 to its list of sanctioned entities on June 12. These sanctions follow earlier sanctions in April against the Arctic LNG 2 project. The Yamal LNG project remains unsanctioned by the United States or Europe. This latest round of sanctions also targets companies involved with pipeline construction including Rosneft’s large-scale Vostok Oil Project. (High North News)

Take 5: These sanctions are a critical effort to disrupt Russia’s ability to fund its war on Ukraine and its asymmetric attacks from the Arctic to the Balkans. To paraphrase Leon Trotsky, you may not be interested in war, but Russia is interested in waging war on you. Revenue from LNG and oil is used to finance Russian aggression. Targeting these projects through sanctions is not a panacea but part of a comprehensive strategy to increase the war’s cost for Russia. In March, Vladimir Putin tasked Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) with helping companies circumvent sanctions and find new markets. They are carrying out his directive, and the announcement by the United States this week is part of a cycle of action, reaction, and counteraction. Consistent with this cycle, High North News reported that Western sanctions intended to disrupt Russia’s access to ice-class LNG tankers forced Novatek to shift resources towards constructing Murmansk LNG in the year-round ice-free waters of the Barents Sea. The war Russia has initiated increases environmental risks, as the continuous action-reaction-counteraction cycle raises the likelihood of accidents. Companies and managers under pressure to solve problems quickly may be prone to take shortcuts. However, Novatek’s shifting of resources due to a shortage of ice-class tankers demonstrates that Russia is not prepared to handle the risk of an environmental disaster in the Arctic, which would be costly to clean up. More to come as High North News also reported this week that some Russian LNG continues to flow to Europe. (High North News, High North News)