The Challenges for Governance at the Arctic

26.4.2009 12:30
The fragmented governance architecture of the Arctic can hardly meet the challenges posed by the dramatic transformation caused by the climate change in the region, argues the final report of a research project lead by the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (Arctic Centre/University of Lapland).

According to the director of the research project, Professor Timo Koivurova, the research focused primarily on how relevant regimes, institutions and governance systems of the Arctic can contribute to mitigating the global climate change - a research perspective that has not been conducted before. The project also examined the extent to which the varying governance arrangements in the Arctic support adaptation and the development of adaptation processes for the region.

According to Koivurova, we need to speak about mitigation of climate change rather than preventing climate change, since we cannot anymore prevent climate change from occurring but can mitigate its consequences in the long-run. Mitigation is presently done especially through the United Nations Climate Change regime to obligate countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

- One of the surprising results of our project was that the region’s indigenous peoples and the Arctic Council were capable of impacting even the global climate policy. Unexpected was also that the Arctic institutions have not been able to contribute much to adaptation policies in a region, which is considered to go through the most dramatic transformation of all regions of the world. This was primarily due to the fact that the interaction of these institutions with each other was limited, and that their status and funding are too weak to support any adaptation programmes in the region.

Professor Koivurova presented these research findings in Monaco  to an influential American Aspen process, lead by the Aspen Institute, and in particular its Arctic Climate Change Commission. Koivurova also gave the book containing the research results to Prince Albert II of Monaco, who also promised to read the report.

- Prince Albert’s contribution to highlighting arctic issues at different intergovernmental platforms has been and is significant. As a head of state, he is able to take these issues up in inter-governmental forums but also via his Foundation, says Koivurova.

The results of the research project can be found from "Climate Governance in the Arctic" -book published by the Springer. This multidisciplinary international three year research project was funded by the Academy of Finland.