SMARTIC Stakeholder Role Play 2016 · • Biggest tourist attractions include: seeing the northern...
Transcript of SMARTIC Stakeholder Role Play 2016 · • Biggest tourist attractions include: seeing the northern...
www.thepolarhub.org
COMMERCIALFISHERIESBackgroundSomeoftheworld’smostproductivefisheriesarelocatedintheArcticregion.FishingoperationsintheArctictakeplaceinareasthatarecompletelyorseasonallyice-free.Considerations
• Commercialfisheriesareinterestedinprotectingthehealthandsustainabilityoffishpopulations.
• Warmingmaypotentiallyfavorcommercialfishing--warmingtemperaturesarecausinganincreaseincommercialfishpopulationsthatarenewtotheArcticregion.
• ExpansionofcommercialfishinginsomeareasoftheArctichasbeenprohibitedduetoalackofunderstandingofhowfishpopulationsarechanging.
• Commercialfisherieswanttomaintaintheirrightstofishinareaswhereotherstakeholdersareinterestedindeveloping.
• GovernmentsandorganizationsarecurrentlyworkingondevisingsustainableplansforfishingintheArctic.
• Sustainablecommercialfishingrequiresmaintenanceandprotectionoffishecosystems.Descriptionofspatialinterests
• Currently,mostactivitytakesplaceintheBeringandBarentsseas,thewestcoastofGreenland,andaroundIcelandandtheFaroeIslands.
• Nolarge-scalecommercialfishingoccursinthecentralArcticasofyetduetoseaiceconcentration.
Descriptionofinterestovertime
• AslessicecoverstheArctic,interestsfromotherstakeholderswillintensify.Fisherieswillneedtoprotecttheirfishingrightsaswellastheecosystemtheyrelyon.
• Asthewaterbecomeswarmer,commercialfisharemigratingnorthandmayeventuallyresideintheArcticOcean.
• Itispossiblethatsomesoutherncommercialfishspecieswilldowellinthisnewareaandout-competelocalspecies,andfishermenmayhavetochangetheirfishingapproaches.
Notes:Fishermendonotrequireprivateaccesstotheirwaters;therefore,negotiatingwithotherinterestsgroupswillmakesharingArcticresourceseasier.Furthermore,itisimportantforfishingthattheecosystemismanagedsustainably,minimizingenvironmentalpollutionanddepletionofstocks.
www.thepolarhub.org
SHIPPINGINDUSTRY
BackgroundAsArcticseaiceretreats,newshippinglanesareopeningup,includingtheNorthernSeaRoutealongtheRussiancoastandtheNorthwestPassagealongtheCanadian.Manyshippingcompaniesthattransportconsumergoodsworldwideareinterestedinthesenewroutes.Considerations
• Currently,shippingroutesintheArcticislimitedbyseaiceconditions,butisgrowingsteadily.• Arcticshippingtakesplaceduringthesummerseason,whenseaiceisataminimum.• Eveninsummermonths,weatherandiceconditionscanmakenavigationchallenging.• Currently,cargoshipsusingArcticshippingroutesareoftenaccompaniedbyspecializedicebreaker
vessels,whichcanaddtooverallcosts.• Arcticshippingroutescansignificantlydecreasethetimeanddistancestraveledofmoretraditional
routesthatgothroughtheSuezandPanamacanals.• Shortershippingroutesmayreduceenergyuseandemissions,helpingtocombatclimatechange.• PortdevelopmentalongnewArcticshippingroutescanproviderevenueforlocaleconomies.
Descriptionofspatialinterests
• Currently,shippingcompaniesareusingroutesalongthecoastlinesofRussiaand,toalesserextent,Canada.
• TheshippingindustryalsocurrentlyreliesonexistingArcticportsandinfrastructuretoaccommodatetheirneeds.
Descriptionofinterestsovertime
• Recently,Arcticicehasshownsignificantmeltingpatternsacrosstheregion,particularlyinsummer.• Lookingahead,thepolaricecapisexpectedtoshrinkconsiderablyinsummer,withaminimalamountof
iceleftalongthenortherncoastsofCanadaandGreenland.• Asseaicecontinuestodecrease,shippingcompanieswillwanttotakeadvantageofthenewlyaccessible
shippingroutes,likelyincludingtheTrans-ArcticroutethatrunsthroughthecenteroftheArcticOcean.Notes:TheInternationalMaritimeOrganization(IMO)recentlycompletedandadoptedthePolarCode,aninternationalcodeofsafetyforshipsoperatinginpolarwaters.ThecodemandatesthatshipsmeetcertaindesignstandardsandhaveequipmentsuitedtotheharshArcticenvironment,andalsorequiresspecialtrainingforshipoperatorsandpersonnelinordertominimizerisktopeopleandtheenvironment.
www.thepolarhub.org
TOURISMBackgroundAlthoughthenumberofpeopletravelingtotheArcticremainssmall,seasonaltourismactivitiesintheregionaregrowingquickly.Considerations
• Tourismisincreasingdueto:improvedaccess(lessseaice, andlongerseason);increasingaffordability;morepersonalwealthtofacilitatetraveltimetotravel; jurisdictionalconstraintsremoved.
• TourismisdiverseintheArctic:itincludesmarketsforsightseeing,sporthuntingandfishing,adventure,natureandwildlife,andculturalheritage.
• Biggesttouristattractionsinclude:seeingthenorthernlights,pristinelandscapes,polarbearsandotherwildlife,andexperiencinglocalcultures.
• BecausetheenvironmentplaysabigroleinArctictourism,manytouristorganizationsareinterestedinsustainabilityandconservation.
• CruiseoperatorsmustbepreparedforchallengingiceandweatherconditionsinordertooperatesafelyintheArcticregion.
• Somelocaleconomiesrelyontourismforsalesrevenue,jobs,personalincome,andpublicfinancing.Descriptionofspatialinterests
• Tourismcurrentlytakesplaceinareaswithexistingportsandinfrastructuretoaccommodatevisitors.
• Currently,ArctictourismtakesplacemostfrequentlyaroundNorway,Svalbard,Iceland,andGreenland.
• TourismdevelopmentisagoalforCanada(Nunavut,Manitoba,Yukon),Russia,andAlaska.DescriptionofinterestsovertimeOvertime,tourismwillincreasethroughouttheArctic.Thisismostlydueto:
• Climatechange,whichiswarmingtheArctictwiceasfastastherestoftheworld,leadsto:o Increasedaccessibility:lessseaicemeanseasieraccesstonewareasforvisitso Changingenvironments:peoplewillwanttoseetheanimalsandlandscapeswhiletheycan
• Coastalcommunitiesshowingincreasedinterestingrowingtheirlocaleconomiesthroughtourism.Notes:Eco-Tourism,astrategyusedbysomeArctictourcompanies,isdefinedas“responsibletraveltonaturalareasthatconservestheenvironmentandimprovesthewell-beingoflocalpeople”(TIES,1990).
www.thepolarhub.org
COASTALCOMMUNITIES,PRIMARILYINDIGENOUSPEOPLES(Specifically,IndigenousPeopleswithmixedeconomiesinfavorofpreservingculturaltraditionsandsubsistencelifestylepractices)BackgroundIndigenouspeoplehavelivedintheArcticforthousandsofyears,adaptingtheirlifestylestotheharshenvironment.MostnorthernIndigenouscommunitiesaremixedsubsistence-casheconomies.Considerations
• TopprioritiesformanyArcticIndigenouscommunitiesinclude:o Economic,social,andculturalsustainabilitythatcontributestothewell-beingofcommunities
andtheirresidentso Protectionoftraditionalfishing/huntingrightsthroughmanagementofnaturalresourceso Preparednessforandresponsetochangesinenvironmentandecosystems
• Manycommunitiessupportactivitiesthatwillstrengthenanddiversifylocaleconomies,forinstance,tourism.
• CommunitiesmaysupportdevelopmentofArcticoilandgasresourcesunderthefollowingconditions:o Resourcedevelopmentmustcontributetoimprovedlivingstandardsoflocalcommunitieso Portionofoilcompanies’profitsareinvestedintolocaleconomyo Resourcesaredevelopedinawaythatprotectsthelocalenvironment,includingsafetymeasures
topreventsspillso Oilcompaniestakefullresponsibilityforcleanupofanyspills,andeithercompensatelocalsfor
lossesincaseofaspilloremploythemtohelpwiththecleanup,payingthemasalaryequivalenttowhattheyweremakingbeforewithbenefits
Descriptionofspatialinterests
• IndigenouscommunitiesarelocatedthroughouttheArcticregion.• Ingeneral,IndigenousPeopleshaveadeepconnectiontothelandsthey’vehistoricallyinhabited.• IfresourcesarelocatedinoronIndigenousterritory,localcommunitieshaveasayinmakingdecisions
relatedtodevelopment.DescriptionofinterestsovertimeIndustrialization,socialchange,andenvironmentalissuesmaychallengemanyaspectsofIndigenousPeopleslivelihoodsandcultures.Climatechangepresentsachallengeinthefollowingways:
• Sealevelrisewillimpactmanycoastalcommunities.• Globalwarmingimpactsthediversityofspecies,whichinturnaffectsfishingandhunting.• Economicinterestswillchangeovertimeasmoreseaicemelts,openingupnewroutesforships.• Meltingofseaicewillallowaccesstooilreservesthathavebeenpreviouslyuntapped.
Notes:ThisisnotauniformdepictionofallArcticIndigenouspeople.ItisimportanttonotethatArcticIndigenouscoastalcommunitiesarediverse;theyspeakdifferentlanguages,havedifferentculturalpractices,andhavedifferentvalues.Someareinfavorofdevelopment,whileothersarenot.
www.thepolarhub.org
OIL&GASBackgroundTheArcticisprojectedtoholdalargeamountoftheworld’sundiscoveredenergyresources:13%ofitsoil,30%ofitsnaturalgas,and20%ofitsliquefiednaturalgas.Morethan80%oftheseresourcesarethoughttobeoffshore.AcontinuingriseindemandisthemainreasoncompaniesareinterestedinArcticoilandgasexploitation,despitethehighriskandcostofrecoveringtheseresources.Considerations
• Manycompanieswantclearregulationstoreducepotentialliabilities.• Theindustryislargeandrequiresskilledlabor,whichpromisesjobcreationforlocalcommunities.• Overcomingissuesofcost,coldweather,ice,lackofinfrastructure,limitedweatherforecasts,and
deepwaterswillrequirealotofresearchanddevelopment,includingnewtechnologyandinfrastructuredevelopment.
• Oilandgascompanieshavesignificantmonetaryresourcesandpoliticalpowertohelppushfordevelopment.
• ResourcedevelopmentincreasesstressesthatArcticcommunitiesandecosystemsarefacingasaresultofclimatechange.
• ItiscurrentlyimpossibletocleanupanoilspillundermostArcticseaiceconditions.• Expansionofshippingroutesisofspecialinterest,ascompaniesneedtotransportextractedoiland
gas.Descriptionofspatialinterests
• Productionislimitedtospecificgeographiclocationswithprojectedreserves.• AreaswiththehighestprobabilityfordiscoveriesarewithinthecoastalregionsofCanada,Alaska,
Russia,andNorway.Descriptionofinterestsovertime
• Thesoonerexplorationstartsthebetter,sothatplanscanbemadeforproduction.• Asseaicerecedeswithclimatechange,newsiteswillopenforoilexploration.• Thelessicethebetterforbothoilandgasdevelopmentaswellastransportofextractedresources.
Notes:ANorway-basedoilandgascompanyisadvocatinganecosystem-basedapproachtoassessingtheimpactofnewoilandgasexploitationinArcticandsub-Arcticregions.Thiswillallowdecision-makerstorunsimulationsofthepotentialeffectsofoilandgasactivity(drilling,oilspills,tankers,invasivespecies,etc.)onecosystemslocatedinproposeddrillingareas.
www.thepolarhub.org
ENVIRONMENTALADVOCATES(WildlifeFocused)BackgroundTheArcticishometomanyuniquespeciesofanimalsthatarespeciallyadaptedtolivingintheoftenharshenvironment.Considerations
• ArcticCod,RingedSeals,andPolarBears,amongother Arcticspecies,aredependentonseaiceforhabitat.
• Ice-dependentspecieswillfacesurvivalchallengesfrombotharapidlychangingclimateandindustrialactivitieslikeresourcedevelopment.
• Advocacygroupsareworkingwithscientiststobetterunderstandwhatice-dependentspeciesneedtosurvive,andhowecosystemsandhabitatscanbesustainablymanagedtopreventextinction.
• PollutionfromArcticandglobalindustrialsourcescanbuildupinthefattytissuesofanimals,causingsicknessandevendeath,insomecases.
• SomeenvironmentaladvocacygroupsuselargemediacampaignstocallattentiontothechallengesArcticspeciesarefacing.
• ManycoastalcommunitiesthatdependonhealthyArcticecosystems,includingArcticIndigenousPeopleswhopracticesubsistencehuntingandfishing,areinterestedinenvironmentalprotection.
Descriptionofspatialinterests
• ManyArcticmarinespecies,includingwhales,seals,andbirds,spendtheirlivesonornearyear-roundseaice.
• Mostimportantecologicalareasarecurrentlylocatedalongcoastlines;becauseofhistoricalicecover,littleisknownaboutspecieslivinginthecentralArcticOcean.
Descriptionofinterestovertime
• Asclimatechangeprogresses,environmentaladvocatesareworkingtoprotectareasintheArcticwhereseaiceislikelytoremainthroughouttheyear.
• EnvironmentalgroupswillneedtoworkwithotherArcticstakeholderstoensuresafeandsustainabledevelopmentoftheregionsresources.
Notes:Currently,polarbearsaredistributedaroundtheentirecircum-Arcticregion.However,habitatforpolarbearsandotherice-associatedspeciesisprojectedtobelostaroundmostoftheArcticasseaicemelts.PolarbearhabitatislikelytobesustainedforlongestintheregionnorthofCanadaandGreenlandknownasthe“LastIceArea.”Thereforethe“LastIceArea”willbecomeincreasinglyimportantfortheconservationofthisiconicspeciesassummerseaicediminishes.