Iluliaq - Iceberg in the area of Uummannaaq, Greenland. Photo by Galya Morrell.
Apr. 27, 2011 – The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released the report that identifies 13 of the richest and most vulnerable places in the Arctic Ocean that should be considered for protection as summer sea ice melts and industrial activity expands into newly accessible areas.
The Bering Strait, Chukchi Beaufort Coast, Barents Sea Coast and Great Siberian Polynya are among the hotspots. Here is the full list of the 13 top priority areas featured in the report:
What a great man, this Jimmy Carter! In 1980, he established the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the Alaskan Interior, cutting off 19 million acres of prime boreal wilderness from the mitts of fur trappers, oil tycoons, and would-be lodge owners alike.
Polar Airlines is rescuing the French Arctic explorer-balloonist Jean-Louis Etienne in Arctic Yakutia, Siberia, after his 5-days The North Pole crossing. April 11th, 2010. See more exclusive photos at http://eYakutia.com
In the last May, Cold United announced about 2010 Arctic Aviation Expert Conference that eventually took place on October 12-13 in Fairbanks, Alaska/USA. Arranged and hosted by the Institute of the North.
The 2010 Arctic Aviation Expert Conference in Fairbanks provided a valuable platform for experts and stakeholders from across the Arctic to come together and forge new relationships. The energy and enthusiasm throughout demonstrated the importance of increased communication and collaboration.
This time Arctic aviators paid much attention to climate changes. The word “change” was the most popular in discussions and presentations. Participants could hear often such phrases as adaptations to cold and changing climates, impacts of climate change, new products for aviation in a changing climate, changing Arctic, our changing home and so on.
They do not reveal any proposals about ways to stop global warming (i.e. climate changes) or calculate the effect of global warming. They just need to know how to operate in the current Arctic conditions, as they admit the Arctic warming on default.
Further, please, find the list of conference speakers, their reports and links for downloading all presentations in the PDF format.
Are you interested to know how climate changes affected the Arctic and what aviators should do?
Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin named comfort of living, attraction of investment and nature preservation as the basics of his Arctic program, speaking at the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum.
“I am familiar with various futuristic predictions on the upcoming strife for the Arctic. But we are carefully monitoring the situation in the region, and it is obvious that most of those scenarios have no real grounds whatsoever,” Putin said.
He noted that Russian explorers reached the North Sea back in the 11th Century, and “both history and geography have put the mission of cultivating the region on our people.”
“First of all,” Putin specified, “we are talking about making the conditions of living in the Arctic of good quality and comfortable. This includes careful approach to the traditions of the indigenous people of the Arctic and their economic set-up, while developing the social sphere, the educational and healthcare systems, and forming of the informational environment.”
The second state priority in the Arctic will be supporting new points of economic growth in the region, attracting large investment from Russia and abroad.
“At the same time, I’d like to stress: not a single industrial Arctic project will be realized without considering the toughest ecological requirements. That is a basic principle which we will apply, while cultivating the north of Krasnoyar Region, Yakutia, the Yamal Peninsula and the Shtokman gas field,” Putin stated.
He expects the arctic to become one of the main sources of energy and a key transport hub in 50 years.
“You are invited to participate in the 2010 Arctic Aviation Experts International Conference, October 12-13, in Fairbanks, Alaska, organized by the Institute of the North in collaboration with LPS AVIA Consulting.”
“You can expect to join other experts from fields such as Arctic aviation regulation and policy, weather and climate change, as well as airport, airplane and airline industries; academic institutions; Arctic aviation consultants, Northern energy and mineral companies and Arctic communities.”
“We are very excited about the possibility of such a collaborative effort and looking forward to an exciting event, with thorough analysis of the issues, expert opinion and outcomes that reflect the extreme importance of Arctic aviation.”
