Our Connection with a Fast-changing Arctic

About

The Arctic Centre will host a Winter School, aimed at (inter-) national civil servants and policy makers, politicians, managers, financial experts, (young) academics and PhD students who are looking for a nuanced and wide-ranging understanding of the Arctic. The theme of the Winter School is Our connection with a fast-changing Arctic. From 24-29 January 2022, lectures, discussions and group work will take place in which topics related to the theme will be addressed from an integrated perspective on a sustainable society. Participation can be a crucial asset to many public- and private-sector employers with operations in the Arctic.

Global warming is most prominent in the Arctic with visible changes in ice and snow and enormous challenges for ecosystems and people to adapt to the new situation. Loss of the Arctic as we know it, coincides with new development in this area on conservation, cooperation, economic development, governance and security. Sustainable solutions require multidimensional knowledge and a prudent approach when coming from outside the Arctic, as new business opportunities should take account of the sensitivities of the natural environment and local and indigenous people.

Participants will be introduced in the conditions experienced and adaptations exhibited by Arctic inhabitants, as the effects of global warming are more severe and noticeable in the North. Changing weather patterns, sea level rise and sustainable socio-economic developments, are also relevant for the rest of the world. With a variety of experts, we will discuss the present predictions and future consequences of climate change. In this respect, the Arctic can be seen as a living laboratory for a broad range of societal challenges.

Course leader

Dr. Maarten Loonen Dr. Annette Scheepstra Dr. Sean Desjardins

Target group

n.a.

Course aim

General topics addressed in the lectures:

Climate Change (climate forcing gasses, arctic amplification, ice caps and sea level rise, polar vortex, mitigation and adaptation)
Arctic ecosystems (sea ice as platform for life, permafrost, carbon pools, trophic mismatch, species extinction, grazing)
The indigenous peoples of the Arctic (Overview of the different indigenous peoples in the Arctic, colonial history and decolonial actions, Indigenous peoples as rights holders)
Governance and science cooperation (UNCLOS, treaties, wilderness concept, pollution)
Sustainable development and business (Arctic Economic Forum, tourism, shipping, natural resource exploitation, economic development)

Fee info