Episodes
Wednesday Nov 21, 2018
Michael Byers: Outer Space and the Arctic—Governance in Cold, Dark and Dangerous Places
Wednesday Nov 21, 2018
Wednesday Nov 21, 2018
What parallels exist in governance regimes for Outer Space and the Arctic? On this episode, Prof. Michael Byers, a leading Arctic and international law expert, shares his insights into why extreme environments often foster international cooperation. He also explains the complexities of Canadian Arctic politics, and the nuances of the concept of sovereignty, in a far-ranging discussion that encompasses outer space, the deep sea, and both polar regions.
(Image: Reuben Wu)
Wednesday Nov 07, 2018
John Holdren: Climate change, the Arctic and current U.S policies
Wednesday Nov 07, 2018
Wednesday Nov 07, 2018
Prof. John P. Holdren is a leader of the Arctic Initiative at the Belfer Center at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. The former Chief Scientific Advisor to President Barack Obama attended the 2018 Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he sat down with the Polar Geopolitics podcast to explain the impacts of climate change on the Arctic and how this in turn affects the global environment. Prof. Holdren also discusses the importance of international scientific cooperation in the Arctic, reflects on scientific advice for political leaders, and critiques current U.S. engagement with climate change and the Arctic, while identifying signs of hope on the sub-national level.
(Photo: Seth Johnson USCG)
Thursday Nov 01, 2018
Arctic Council's ambivalent engagement with climate change
Thursday Nov 01, 2018
Thursday Nov 01, 2018
Despite the Arctic Council’s core mission of promoting sustainable development and environmental protection, it has to date done little to actually combat climate change. According to Dr. Annika Nilsson — an expert on Arctic politics at the Stockholm Environment Institute — this ambivalence towards climate mitigation constitutes one dimension of what she calls the “Arctic Paradox”. In the first part of her interview with the Polar Geopolitics podcast, Dr. Nilsson provides historical context and current perspective on the environment and energy-related aspects of the paradox in Arctic politics.
(Image: Riccardo Pravettoni)