The Northwest Passage (NWP) has long been an area of contentious politics, making governance and policymaking particularly challenging. As climate change increases navigability in the NWP, its geopolitical significance continues to grow. This raises an important question: have policymakers adjusted their preferences and strategies in response to these shifting external conditions? To address this inquiry, we draw on Peter Hall's theory of 'social learning' to assess whether a paradigm shift has occurred within Canadian NWP policy over the past 56 years. Our analysis combines process tracing, the application of an analytical framework, and thematic content analysis, focusing on two causal mechanisms: (1) the Canadian federal executive's ideational interests shaping their policy goals; and (2) the tools and mechanisms employed to realise them. We find that while policy settings and instruments have changed over time, the underlying goals have consistently revolved around three foundational ideas: sovereignty, resource development, and environmental stewardship. Thus, despite exogenous shocks and changes in government, a paradigm shift has not occurred in Canadian NWP policy.
Seal hunting is a polarising topic, and the European Union's 2009 ban is arguably the most high-profile and impactful statement against the practice of seal hunting on the world stage. At the same time, the stories and experiences of sealers, their families and their communities experiencing cultural and economic violence, psychological abuse and forced assimilation were, and continue to be, overshadowed by the narratives and content generated globally by anti-sealing activists. This paper addresses the question: In what way is the EU seal product import ban contributing to the stigmatisation of sealing and sealers? It argues that the 2009 ban legitimatised the widespread stigmatisation of sealers and seal products generated and advocated by anti-sealing activists. In adopting activist agendas and explicitly targeting sealing as morally objectionable, the EU gave power and cover to activists' attitudes, actions and beliefs with marginal open-minded investigation into the harm committed by these actors. In effect this sanctions the cultural and economic violence inflicted on sealers, their families and communities.
The Central Arctic Ocean (CAO) faces new governance dynamics as the expanded BRICS bloc projects its influence over it. This study assesses the BRICS nations' potential interests and capabilities in CAO natural resource governance. Shifting geopolitical alignments, particularly Russia's distancing from Western-led mechanisms, have opened new spaces for BRICS engagement in the CAO, which represents an example of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). Applying a local-to-global analytical framework, this study examines resource governance in the CAO across three domains, fisheries, deep-sea mining, and shipping, to assess how BRICS engagement is reshaping the balance between economic interest and the preservation of the CAO as a global common. Key BRICS members, spearheaded by a strengthened Russo-Chinese partnership, are transitioning from peripheral observers to assertive participants in Arctic governance. Investments in Arctic scientific research and material capabilities, such as icebreaker fleets, are reshaping the future governance of CAO resources. However, significant technological constraints and a fragmented legal landscape currently serve as obstacles to greater engagement by the BRICS countries. The rise of BRICS-driven multilateralism necessitates a re-evaluation of Arctic resource governance regimes to secure sustainable future of this rapidly changing region.
The article attempts to explore the process of formation of a new sphere of relations between the USSR and the countries of the Arctic region1 in the period from 1986 to 1990. The April Plenum of the Communist Party Central Committee in 1985 laid the groundwork for a profound transformation in both the domestic and the foreign policy of the USSR. It gave a powerful impetus for developing relations between the USSR and the Arctic countries on a completely new basis embodied in the New Political Thinking and the Murmansk Initiative in 1987. The article analyzes diplomatic efforts to establish the first regional non-governmental organisation-The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC). The article traces the key stages of the USSR's participation in these negotiations, examines the main contradictions between the participants and tries to look into the ways in which the participants developed common solutions while working on forming a new regional space in the Arctic.
The concept of the 'Antarctic ambassador' has become a central narrative in polar tourism, based on the idea that tourists can play a constructive role in supporting Antarctic conservation. With over 100,000 people visiting Antarctica each year, tourists represent a potentially powerful force in shaping environmental outcomes. However, existing scholarship often treats ambassadorship as a straightforward outcome of attitude change, overlooking the complexity of conservation as a wicked problem - a challenge marked by interwoven social, political, and ecological factors. This study aims to examine how post-trip ambassadorship is conceptualised within Antarctic tourism and to propose a more nuanced, action-oriented framework that accounts for the diversity of tourist interests, capabilities, and contexts. As part of a broader project on Antarctic tourist experiences, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 121 tourists. Analysis revealed six distinct types of Antarctic ambassadors, differentiated by their preferred modes of engagement and areas of influence, and five key conditions necessary for successful ambassadorship. Antarctic conservation is a wicked problem that requires multi-faceted responses. We argue that fostering effective ambassadorship demands a more tailored, systems-based approach. To this end, we propose a multi-level model that maps strategic pathways to action for the six identified ambassador types, offering a foundation for both scholarly advancement and practical intervention within the tourism sector.
This study explores the psychological and ethical challenges of leadership in analog Mars missions, using Antarctic overwintering at Neumayer Station III as a terrestrial model. Based on qualitative, episodic interviews with five station leaders from 2020-2024, conducted during their overwintering period and analysed using an interpretive qualitative approach, the research examines processes of expectation adjustment, role ambiguity, and sensemaking under extreme isolation, group diversity, and limited agency. Findings indicate that discrepancies between external expectations and self-perception often result in a shift towards more democratic leadership styles, increased role conflict, and psychological strain. In addition, leaders reported difficulties in balancing professional authority with social integration within the team, as well as challenges in maintaining role clarity over time. Structured preparation for psychosocial challenges remains insufficient. The insights are significant for future long-duration space missions, as well as for leadership training in other extreme or isolated environments. Recommendations include stepwise training concepts and enhanced psychological support for leaders operating under these unique conditions, particularly with regard to expectation management and coping with prolonged interpersonal stress.
The Dallmann expedition plaque marks the earliest known German presence in Antarctica associated with Eduard Dallmann's 1873-74 expedition aboard the steamship Gr & ouml;nland. Installed at Potter Cove, King George Island, in Antarctica, this plaque commemorates this brief but symbolically significant expedition. Forgotten for decades, the site was rediscovered in 1949 by two British explorers, leading to its designation in 1972 as a Historic Site and Monument (HSM) No. 36 under the Antarctic Treaty System. In 1987, West Germany reported the plaque missing and installed a replica at Potter Cove. Based on archival records, expedition logs and treaty documents, this paper reconstructs the plaque's course over time from installation, rediscovery, designation, loss and replication. It interrogates how commemorative heritage in Antarctica is produced and maintained amid incomplete records and institutional incorporation. By tracing this 150-year journey of the Dallmann plaque, this article contributes to the historical understanding of German Antarctic Presence. While this study focuses on historical reconstruction, it also opens scope for further inquiry into heritage authenticity, replication and the politics of memory in Antarctic heritage management.
In early 1947, the documentary Soberan & iacute;a Argentina en la Ant & aacute;rtida (Argentine Sovereignty in Antarctica) premiered in Argentine cinemas, with a limited release of its English-language version abroad. This film marked a significant shift in the cinematic representation of Antarctica within Argentine cinema. It is a cinematic adaptation of a homonymous book published at the time by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which outlined the legal and historical foundations of Argentina's territorial claim over Antarctica. The documentary functions both as a product and an expression of the unprecedented Argentine Antarctic deployment launched during the summer of 1946-47 - a process that spanned more than a decade and largely coincided with Juan Domingo Per & oacute;n's first and second presidencies. Through a socio-historical analysis of the film and its production context, this article examines the representational transformations concerning Antarctica promoted by the Argentine state during this period. It highlights the documentary's uniqueness by interpreting it as a political instrument of public communication aimed at articulating and asserting Argentina's sovereignty claim.
Research funding frameworks and programmes, such as Horizon Europe, increasingly encourage and reward large-scale, interdisciplinary, and international projects. These initiatives place growing requirements on applicants to address complex global problems through a shared understanding and a transparent commitment to ethics, equity, gender, knowledge co-production, and citizen science. In this research note, we introduce and evaluate several participatory methods employed by an interdisciplinary research team in the development of a project specific Code of Conduct during the start-up phase of a Horizon Europe-funded and Arctic-focused project. This process served as a foundational step to align diverse academic perspectives with community-centred values, preparing the consortium for respectful collaborative research with Indigenous rights holders and local communities at a later stage of the project. By evaluating these early-stage methodologies, we examine how the development of a Code of Conduct by a consortium, early on in a project, can help to establish the shared understanding necessary for interdisciplinary and international research collaboration.
Minerals and energy have for many years been an important part of the political game in Greenland with a strong wish of becoming economically independent of Denmark. Although Greenland in some periods received significant income, later years have demonstrated a modest level of activities and low interest from investors. Since Greenland took over the mineral administration in 1998 and the full legislation in 2010, a total of 14 exploitation licences has been granted. Four small mines have been active in short periods of time. Several licences have been relinquished or revoked without the start of mining. This paper gives a historical overview of exploitation licences and describes well-established procedures with requested resource estimates, feasibility studies and public hearings about environmental and social impact assessments. Many of these requirements have been dropped after legal and administrative changes within the last few years. Exploitation licences now look like extended exploration, both in terms of areas and time frame. This has caused a lot of confusion in business, less transparency for society, uncertainty when hearings will take place, and how the concept of exploitation licences should be understood in the future. The author has worked with research, advice and promotion of Greenland petroleum and mineral resources since the mid-1980s, and always in close dialogue with authorities and industry. This background knowledge is used for discussing the inexplicable changes that seem to be the result of direct dialogue between a few licence holders and politicians without serious analysis.
For over 25 years, plans for submarine fibre optic cable projects to connect Europe and Asia across the Arctic Ocean have been announced. However, these projects have not been realised due to a lack of interest from either private or public investors. In a rapidly changing international context, marked by a realignment of power relations and the return of war to Europe since February 2022, as well as the quest for digital sovereignty, stakeholders are mobilising and are now prepared to pay the cost of such submarine fibre optic cable projects. These have become essential for securing data routes and, consequently, for digital sovereignty. The European Union has implemented a strategy to finance its digital infrastructure, leading it to fund several cable projects in the Arctic. These projects include the Far North Fiber trans-Arctic cable and, most notably, the transpolar Polar Connect project, which is planned to pass near the North Pole. These cables represent a substantial investment, with announced budgets of 1.2 billion and 1.5 billion, respectively. For the first time in 25 years, the public sector is fully supporting private and public initiatives in transarctic submarine cable projects. They are not only considering return on investment in financial terms, but also strengthening their digital sovereignty, improving network redundancy, and fostering scientific research and cooperation in the Arctic. The European Union's involvement in the Polar Connect project could be a real game changer, potentially leading to the first transpolar submarine cable project connecting Europe to Asia via the Arctic.
Human uses in Antarctica are intensifying and diversifying. Around 10,000 scientists and 122,000 tourists visited Antarctica during the 2023-2024 season. In the South Shetland Islands, research and tourism operations are concentrated in areas where most facilities are located. Both types of operations are strongly intertwined, frequently relying on the same infrastructure and facilities. King George Island (KGI) has become an essential hub for air-cruise operations, as the airstrip 'Teniente R. Marsh' facilitates tourists' and researchers' access to the Antarctic Peninsula region. Logistical support and infrastructure have expanded significantly in recent years to accommodate the growing number of tourists, thereby creating increased pressure on local ecosystems. This paper explores the current use and regulation of land-based facilities for tourism operations on KGI and the legal aspects of these activities. From a legal perspective, due to the unresolved issue of territorial sovereignty in Antarctica, questions arise regarding States' rights and obligations to exercise jurisdiction or control over their research stations and infrastructure, as well as the legal basis for such authority in light of Antarctica's unique status under international law. We expect that this case study could spark a broader debate among the scientific community, managers, and policy-makers as to whether the development and regulation of land-based tourism facilities in Antarctica require further regulation.
Given the continued declined of marine biodiversity across the globe, which is linked to overexploitation, pollution and climate change impacts exacerbated through anthropogenic activities, the current ocean governance and management system needs to be reconsidered. This assumption also stands firm in view of the inherent and natural characteristics of marine ecosystems, such as their dynamism, fluidity, and non-linearity, which largely lack consideration. This paper introduces the concept of thresholds as triggers for automatic (interim) conservation and provides considerations on their potential to advance conservation efforts for biodiversity in view of contemporary challenges emerging from the ocean governance system. While the insufficiency of conservation efforts spans across the entire marine space, some regions are particularly vulnerable to pressures and impacts from climate change and marine activities. This includes the Arctic marine region. As the protection of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) through marine protected areas (MPAs) is lagging far behind other marine regions, the Central Arctic Ocean high seas portion has been selected as the main focus of the research. The paper provides an overview of the applicable legal framework in ABNJ for biodiversity conservation. It highlights its challenges and elaborates on the concept of thresholds in environmental management, as well as existing examples. This illustrates the linkage between conservation efforts and marine management, as well as their incorporation in the legal framework. As a result, this contribution aims at demonstrating the relevance of thresholds to enhance ocean governance approaches and offers a way forward towards effective and adequate conservation management in times of climate change.
This article examines how tourism growth and public administration modernisation transform protected area (PA) governance in Finland through institutional re-entrenchment - a process whereby tourism becomes embedded in organisational logics, shaping priorities and constraining future choices. As tourism increasingly permeates PA operations, it simultaneously legitimises these organisations whilst limiting their capacity to pursue broader environmental goals. Drawing on institutional theory, particularly isomorphism and legitimacy-seeking, the analysis builds on interviews with senior PA managers who witnessed governance transformations in recent decades. The findings reveal two interrelated responses: coercive assimilation, where organisations conform to external tourism demands through mandated restructuring, and deliberative adaptation, where they preserve autonomy by proactively adopting market-oriented practices. These responses have gradually repositioned PA governance bodies beyond traditional conservation roles, establishing them as regional development actors where tourism provides essential legitimacy alongside conservation mandates. This shift exposes how market logics and political imperatives generate tensions that reshape PA decision-making and institutional priorities. The evolution from complementary tourism-conservation relationships to their uneasy integration proves particularly consequential in Sub-Arctic Finland, where fragile ecosystems face accelerating climate pressures. This re-entrenchment fundamentally challenges how PA institutions maintain environmental priorities when organisational legitimacy and funding increasingly derive from tourism performance rather than conservation achievements.
This paper examines the application of environmental restorative justice within constitutional frameworks, addressing both ecological degradation and historical injustices experienced by the S & aacute;mi People in Finland. It investigates the intersection of S & aacute;mi rights and environmental regulation, proposing a model of justice that respects Indigenous autonomy while safeguarding ecological integrity and contributing to long-term sustainability. Through the study of the Finnish environmental legal framework, including recent case law, legislative reforms, and the growing relevance of international instruments, this research highlights the evolving ecological perspective of the Finnish Parliamentary Committee of Constitutional Affairs. The study also evaluates how constitutional interpretation has shifted towards a more rights-based and ecological understanding of S & aacute;mi cultural practices, especially with regard to land use and traditional livelihoods. Ultimately, the paper argues that environmental restorative justice advances the fulfilment of S & aacute;mi rights within their Homeland by reconnecting ecological restoration with social healing, democratic participation, and respect for cultural continuity across generations.
An increasing number of European States has publicly declared their interest in Arctic questions in the early 2010s. Among them, France. Until 2016, most of its rhetoric emanated from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), stressing the indispensable cooperation to mitigate the effects of climate change in the northernmost part of Earth. Yet, more recently, a competing narrative from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has emerged. Far from emphasising cooperation, it focuses instead on the growing security and military challenges in the Arctic. Political responses to Arctic stakes are now rather considered through a martial lens than a cooperative one. Based on more than 40 interviews (militaries, diplomats and experts) and a careful study of official documents, this article takes the lens of organisational politics to shed light on how the MoD has managed to become such an important actor in the process. It argues that the Minist & egrave;re des Arm & eacute;es has built legitimacy through three mechanisms: first by benefiting from a lack of MFA leadership, second by benefiting from an organisational reform, and third by taping into the Cold War imaginary, shifting the focus to hard security issues. This, in turn, has allowed the MoD to promote its traditional expertise - conventional armed conflicts - as opposed to responding to 'new threats' such as climate change.
The signature of an international agreement to manage biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions (BBNJ Agreement) raised questions about its applicability in the Arctic region in general and the Central Arctic Ocean in particular. Legitimate concerns were expressed by Arctic stakeholders as far the applicability of this agreement is concerned, in light of the agreement signed to prohibit commercial fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean. This article analyses the potential to apply the BBNJ Agreement given parallel legal mechanisms already in place and study the potential limitations the BBNJ Agreement will face in the region. We conclude that several hurdles exist for a full implementation of the BBNJ Agreement in the Arctic region: the treaty also possess the possibility of durably changing circumpolar relations between Arctic states. Issuesover overlapping responsibilities with other decisional bodies will contribute to tensions among Arctic states. Likewise, the protection of biodiversity will be influenced by decisions over related matters, including the possible development of the continental shelf and thepotential expansion of deep-sea mining into the Arctic region.
