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A new Arctic exceptionalism?

© Image by Pexels from Pixabay Dr PAN Min and Dr Henry P. Huntington Dividing lines in the Arctic appear more solid every day. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had repercussions throughout the world, including the isolation of Russia from the other

Between Continuity and Change: The Legal Status of Arctic Indigenous Peoples

A Sámi family in Norway around 1900. Mauro Mazza Associate Professor of Comparative Public Law, University of Bergamo Mauro Mazza analyses how the Swedish national legal system for the protection and promotion of Arctic Indigenous Peoples compares with the national legal systems of

Strategy for Portuguese-Flagged Ships in the Arctic Ocean

Teresa Barros Cardoso PhD candidate, NOVA University of Lisbon – School of Social Sciences and Humanities (NOVA FCSH), Portugal Member of the Jean Monnet OCEANID+ Centre of Excellence on ‘Sustainable Blue Europe'. Teresa Barros Cardoso makes the case for why Portugal should have

Greenland and Denmark on Capitol Hill: Statement by Greenland & Denmark Reps in DC

Kenneth Høegh Head of Representation, Representation of Greenland to the United States and Canada Jesper Møller Sørensen Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to the United States of America This week, my colleague and I have been meeting with key members of Congress to

Italy at the Forefront of Arctic Security: The Role of the Italian Navy

Image: © Marina Militare Marco Dordoni Marco Dordoni casts a spotlight on Italy's growing role as a security actor in the Arctic, with a focus on the Italian Navy. This is the third in our series of articles from the workshop Polar

Navigability in the Arctic: Impact on Maritime Safety

Capt. César Manuel Pires Correia (Portuguese Navy) Coordinator, Study of Crises and Armed Conflicts, Military University Institute (Instituto Universitário Militar), Lisbon, Portugal Former Director, NATO Maritime Geospatial, Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre of Excellence (MGEOMETOC COE), Lisbon, Portugal Capt. César Manuel Pires Correia of the

The Italian Navy’s Contribution to the Study of the Svalbard Archipelago: A Historical Overview

Image by beasternchen from Pixabay. Dr Pier Paolo Alfei Dr Pier Paolo Alfei provides an overview of three key episodes in the history of the Italian Navy’s contribution to the study of Svalbard. This is the first in our series of articles

New Project on Strategically Just Energy Expansions: Managing Investments in PtX (STJERNE-MIX)

Maniitsoq © Destination Arctic Circle Polar Research and Policy Initiative (PRPI) is pleased to announce that Prof Brooks Kaiser, Fellow at PRPI and Professor at University of Southern Denmark (SDU), and members of the Management and Economics of Resources and the

Arctic Marine Research Agendas: Who Writes the Saga?

Call for Submissions to ICARP IV (20 – 28 March 2025) Session: Are you engaged in Arctic research, or curious about the influence of research agendas on Arctic futures? This session explores who sets the priorities in Arctic marine research and

Whaling activities have resumed in Iceland and Japan, and the world speaks out. Does it?

Dr Nikolas Sellheim Director, Sellheim Environmental Fellow, Polar Research and Policy Initiative Introduction Whaling in 2023 still constitutes an activity of utmost controversy. While the 88-member state International Whaling Commission (IWC) has put in place a ban on commercial whaling in 1982 that came

From a Northern Hub: Interview with Mayor of Yellowknife Rebecca Alty

Image by willamlee from Pixabay. Justin Barnes Fellow, Polar Research and Policy Initiative Justin Barnes, Canada Fellow at Polar Research and Policy Initiative, interviews Rebecca Alty, Mayor of Yellowknife, about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for the capital of Canada's Northwestern Territories. Justin:

Silencing the screaming — The discovery of rare earth metals in Sweden

Reindeer in a Saami camp. © Isabell Schulz Dr Nikolas Sellheim Director, Sellheim Environmental Fellow, Polar Research and Policy Initiative Introduction The beginning of the year 2023 was marked by a ‘spectacular find’ (Der Spiegel, 2023) in Northern Sweden: rare earth metals. This find made

The BBNJ Agreement - The cure against marine biodiversity loss?

Dr Nikolas Sellheim Director, Sellheim Environmental Fellow, Polar Research and Policy Initiative Introduction 4 March 2023 allegedly marked a turning point in human history: for during the late of the night of that historic Saturday, the United Nations finally agreed on a text for

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework: What's Historic?

Photo: 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference, 9 December 2022. © UN Biodiversity Dr Nikolas Sellheim Director, Sellheim Environmental Fellow, Polar Research and Policy Initiative Introduction With the conclusion of the 15th Conference of the Parties (CoP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 19 December

The Stereotype is Dead? No! - A Review of Avatar: The Way of Water

Image © Disney. The stereotype is dead? No. Long live the stereotype indeed. Dr Nikolas Sellheim reviews Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). Dr Nikolas Sellheim Director, Sellheim Environmental Fellow, Polar Research and Policy Initiative Attention! Many spoilers included. In 2009, director James Cameron released a

The Sidelining of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in CITES Media Coverage

Photo: Ng Swan Ti / Oxfam. Dr Nikolas Sellheim Director, Sellheim Environmental Fellow, Polar Research and Policy Initiative The fall and winter of 2022 hosted five of the most relevant and prominent international meetings for the protection of biodiversity and the climate: The 68th

Arctic Media Hotline and Observatory

Polar Research and Policy Initiative (PRPI) launches Arctic Media Hotline and Observatory to improve Arctic media coverage Project Lead: Dr Dwayne Ryan Menezes Project Coordinator: Mikhail Radkevitch Since its inception, Polar Research and Policy Initiative (PRPI) has been committed to promoting greater understanding of

The "Natural Disaster" Misnomer: How are Disasters defined?

Disaster descriptions do not capture many mental health and well-being impacts. Prof Ilan Kelman Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London, UK Professor II, University of Agder, Norway KEY POINTS “Natural disaster”, “black swan” and “disaster event” are misnomers. These phrases represent neither

Are We Psychologically Ready for Power Outages?

The squirrel factor. Prof Ilan Kelman Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London, UK Professor II, University of Agder, Norway KEY POINTS Squirrels and many other factors lead to power failures. The physical robustness of the electricity system has limits, so we need

Do Disasters Kill More Women Than Men?

Disaster death rates may result from societal roles. Prof Ilan Kelman Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London, UK Professor II, University of Agder, Norway An often-repeated myth is that disasters are inevitably more lethal for women and girls than for men and

Will $100 Billion Per Year Tackle Climate Change?

We spend much more creating climate change and other problems. Prof Ilan Kelman Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London, UK Professor II, University of Agder, Norway KEY POINTS Poorer countries are promised $100 billion per year to tackle climate change. This value

Will Climate Change Increase Suicide Rates?

Our new research finds mixed links between heat–humidity and suicide rates. Prof Ilan Kelman Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London, UK Professor II, University of Agder, Norway KEY POINTS This study is one of the first to consider relative humidity and suicide,

Does Climate Change Cause Wildfire Disasters?

Climate change worsens some fires, but we make choices creating fire disasters. Prof Ilan Kelman Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London, UK Professor II, University of Agder, Norway The horror of 2020’s wildfires is captured by hashtags: #AustraliaIsBurning and #CaliforniaBurning, among others.

Cold Cuts: Home-Grown Arctic Food

Image by Ilan Kelman. Prof Ilan Kelman Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London, UK Professor II, University of Agder, Norway Could greenhouses grow food in the Arctic, especially during the long winters? Iceland certainly tries—or so states the myth about growing (or

Case Comment: Supreme Court rules Scottish Parliament can't hold IndyRef2 unilaterally

Image: The Lord Advocate, the Rt Hon Dorothy Bain KC, discusses the case before five judges of the UK Supreme Court. Prof Rachael Lorna Johnstone Professor of Law University of Akureyri (Iceland) and Ilisimatusarfik (University of Greenland) Case comment: Reference by the Lord Advocate

Poland in the Arctic: Interview with Ambassador Andrzej Misztal

Alisa Musanovic Today, I'm with Ambassador Andrzej Misztal, who is Poland's Arctic Ambassador. Could you start off by telling us about yourself and your career in government so far? Well, so far, it has been almost 30 years. During my career, I

One Arctic or Two? Polar Geopolitics in the Wake of the Ukraine Conflict

Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, and Sergei Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, speak at the 12th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, in May 2021. © Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs/Gunnar Vigfússon Prof Timo Koivurova Research Professor Arctic Centre, University

The Estonian Polar Club: Interview with Katrin Savomägi

Alisa Musanovic Today I'm with Katrin Savomägi, who is the Managing Director of the Estonian Polar Club. Could you start off by telling us a bit about yourself and your career, particularly anything that sparked an interest in polar affairs? Thank you

Czech-in the Arctic: Interview with Jan Dusik

Alisa Musanovic I'm with Jan Dusík, who is currently the Interim Director of the Arctic Programme at the Worldwide Fund for Nature. He has worked in the UN Environment Programme and is also a former Czech politician in the Ministry of

Latvia in the Arctic: Interview with State Secretary Andris Pelšs

Alisa Musanovic Today’s interview is with Andris Pelšs, who is the Secretary of State of the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your career in government so far? I have been the Secretary of

Between Continuity and Change: The Legal Status of Arctic Indigenous Peoples

A Sámi family in Norway around 1900. Mauro Mazza Associate Professor of Comparative Public Law, University of Bergamo Mauro Mazza

Between Continuity and Change: The Legal Status of Arctic Indigenous Peoples

Strategy for Portuguese-Flagged Ships in the Arctic Ocean

Greenland and Denmark on Capitol Hill: Statement by Greenland & Denmark Reps in DC

Italy at the Forefront of Arctic Security: The Role of the Italian Navy

Navigability in the Arctic: Impact on Maritime Safety

The Italian Navy’s Contribution to the Study of the Svalbard Archipelago: A Historical Overview

New Project on Strategically Just Energy Expansions: Managing Investments in PtX (STJERNE-MIX)

Whaling activities have resumed in Iceland and Japan, and the world speaks out. Does it?

The BBNJ Agreement – The cure against marine biodiversity loss?

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework: What’s Historic?

The Stereotype is Dead? No! – A Review of Avatar: The Way of Water

The Sidelining of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in CITES Media Coverage

Are We Psychologically Ready for Power Outages?

Will $100 Billion Per Year Tackle Climate Change?

Will Climate Change Increase Suicide Rates?

Do Disasters Kill More Women Than Men?

Does Climate Change Cause Wildfire Disasters?

The “Natural Disaster” Misnomer: How are Disasters defined?

Cold Cuts: Home-Grown Arctic Food

Case Comment: Supreme Court rules Scottish Parliament can’t hold IndyRef2 unilaterally

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