Abstract
Over the past several years, the Arctic has emerged as a region of growing concern to the international community as a result of the impacts of climate change and globalization in this once remote area. Increasing numbers of scholars and residents of the region believe that some framework for governance in the Arctic is now required to address these and other pressing challenges. This is not, however, an easy undertaking. The process of governance is a multifaceted effort. The Arctic Council, established in 1996, has functioned until now as the primary body for addressing regional concerns and formulating efforts at collective action. This article examines the multiple questions posed by any undertaking of governance in the Arctic. It reviews the ways in which the Arctic Council has sought to respond to each of these over the past 18 years and provides an assessment of its undertakings. The article also considers what should be the guiding principles around which all future governance efforts should be crafted and discusses how such an initiative is central to the future evolution of the region.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Emmerson (2010).
- 2.
Koivurova (2010).
- 3.
Graczyk (2012).
- 4.
Keskitalo (2004).
- 5.
Ilulissat Declaration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (2008).
- 6.
Young (1998).
- 7.
Exner-Pirot (2012).
- 8.
Ǿstreng (2012).
- 9.
Dobbs (2012).
- 10.
Tennberg (1998).
- 11.
Arctic diplomacy: A warmer welcome (2013).
- 12.
Byers (2009).
- 13.
Heininen (2011).
- 14.
Nord (2013).
- 15.
Nord (2010).
- 16.
- 17.
Hoel (2009).
- 18.
Arctic Council (2013).
- 19.
Hernes (2012).
- 20.
Young (2010).
- 21.
Abele (2009).
- 22.
Borgerson (2013).
References
Abele, F. (2009). Northern development: Past, present and future. In F. Abele et al. (Eds.), Northern exposure: Peoples powers and prospects in Canada’s North. Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy.
Agreement on cooperation on aeronautical and maritime search and rescue in the arctic. (2011). Available at: http://www.ifrc.org/docs/idrl/N813EN.pdf. Accessed 29 Apr 2014.
Agreement on cooperation on marine pollution preparedness and response in the arctic. (2013). Available at: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/05/209406.htm. Accessed 1 May 2014.
Arctic Council. (2013). Kiruna vision for the Arctic. Available at: http://www.arctic-council.org/Kiruna_Vision_for_the_Arctic_Final.pdf. Accessed 29 Apr 2014.
Arctic diplomacy: A warmer welcome. (2013, May 18). Economist. Available at: http://www.economist.com/news/international/21578040-acrtic-council. Accessed 21 Apr 2014.
Borgerson, S. (2013). The coming of the Arctic boom as the ice melts and the region heats up. Available at: http://www.foreign.affairs.com/articles/139456/scott-g-orgerson/the-coming-arctic-boom. Accessed 23 Apr 2014.
Byers, M. (2009). Who owns the Arctic: Understanding sovereignty disputes in the north. Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre.
Dobbs, K. (2012). Anticipating the Arctic and the Arctic Council: Pre-emption, precaution and preparedness. In The Arctic Council: Its place in the future of Arctic governance (pp. 2–28). Toronto: Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program.
Emmerson, C. (2010). The future history of the Arctic. New York: Public Affairs.
Exner-Pirot, H. (2012). New directions for governance in the Arctic Council. In The Arctic yearbook (pp. 224–246). Akureyri: Northern Research Forum.
Graczyk, P. (2012). The Arctic Council inclusive of non-Arctic perspectives: Seeking a new balance. In The Arctic Council: Its place in the future of Arctic governance (pp. 262–305). Toronto: Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program.
Heininen, L. (2011). Sweden’s strategy for the Arctic region: Priorities and objectives. Available at: http://www.geopoliticsnorth.org. Accessed 10 Apr 2014.
Hernes, G. (2012). Hot topic—cold comfort: Climate change and attitude change. Oslo: NordForsk.
Hoel, A. H. (2009). Do we need a new legal regime for the Arctic Ocean? International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, 24, 443–456.
Ilulissat Declaration. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. (2008, May 28). Available at: http://www.oceanlaw.org/downloads/arctic/Ilulissat_Declaration.pdf. Accessed 18 Apr 2014.
Keskitalo, E. C. H. (2004). Negotiating the Arctic: The construction of an international region. London/New York: Routledge.
Koivurova, T. (2010). Limits and possibilities of the Arctic Council in a rapidly changing scene of Arctic governance. Polar Record, 46, 1–11.
Nord, D. C. (2010). The shape of the table, the shape of the Arctic. International Journal, 65, 825–836.
Nord, D. C. (2013). Creating a framework for consensus building and governance: An appraisal of the Swedish Chairmanship and the Kiruna Ministerial Meeting. In The Arctic yearbook (pp. 240–263). Akureyri: Northern Research Forum.
Ǿstreng, W. (2012). Shipping and resources in the Arctic Ocean: A hemispheric perspective. In Arctic yearbook (pp. 247–280). Akureyri: Northern Research Forum.
Tennberg, M. (1998). The Arctic Council: A study in governmentality. Rovaniemi: University of Lapland.
Young, O. (1998). Creating regimes: Arctic accords and international regimes. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Young, O. (2010). Arctic governance—Pathways to the future. Arctic Review on Law and Politics, 1, 164–185.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nord, D.C. (2015). The Challenge of Governance in the Arctic: Now and in the Future. In: Evengård, B., Nymand Larsen, J., Paasche, Ø. (eds) The New Arctic. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17602-4_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17602-4_22
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-17601-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-17602-4
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)