News Articles

Arctic Council Working Group CAFF (Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna) convened a workshop on the Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative (AMBI) East Asian-Australasian Flyway in Singapore, addressing major conservation issues for Arctic-breeding migratory birds in the flyway.

The Arctic Resilience Report, launched last Friday, 25 November, identifies 19 tipping points that can and have occurred in Arctic marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems.

The Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) met on 1-2 October, 2016 in Orono, Maine. The group focused on the progress of its projects and potential deliverables for 2017 Ministerial meeting.

The event "The Melting Arctic: A glimpse into the future of global climate change" will be held in the U.S. center in the blue zone at COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco on Friday, 11 November at 10:30 local time. Listen in as speakers from the science and policy communities discuss the most recent understanding of climate change impacts in the Arctic.

The Arctic Council has recently welcomed three new Senior Arctic Officials: Hanne Eskjær (Kingdom of Denmark), Anniken Krutnes (Norway), and Alison LeClaire (Canada). In this interview, we speak with Alison LeClaire about her background and about her thoughts on her upcoming work with the Council.

Senior officials from the Arctic Council’s eight member States and six indigenous Permanent Participant organizations (PPs) concluded their latest meeting in Portland, Maine on 6 October 2016.

The Arctic Council’s Senior Arctic Officials (SAOs) and indigenous Permanent Participant organizations (PPs) will meet in Portland, Maine on 5-6 October 2016 to discuss the Council’s ongoing work and future plans to address environmental issues and promote sustainable development in the Arctic.

SAON (Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks) was recently reviewed by an external committee, which looked at SAON's accomplishments and made recommendations for future directions.

The Arctic Council has recently welcomed three new Senior Arctic Officials: Hanne Eskjær (Kingdom of Denmark), Anniken Krutnes (Norway), and Alison LeClaire (Canada). In this interview, we speak with Hanne Eskjær about her background and about her thoughts on her upcoming work with the Council.

On the occasion of the Arctic Council's 20th anniversary, we asked Ambassador David Balton, the current Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, for some of his thoughts on the Council's past, present, and future. This is the last of three segments.

On the occasion of the Arctic Council's 20th anniversary, we asked Ambassador David Balton, the current Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, for some of his thoughts on the Council's past, present, and future. This is the second of three segments.

On the occasion of the Arctic Council's 20th anniversary, we asked Ambassador David Balton, the current Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, for some of his thoughts on the Council's past, present, and future. This is the first of three segments.

A joint statement from Ministers of the Arctic States on the occasion of the Arctic Council's 20th anniversary

-----

“We covered so much ground here, and it was great to sense so much progress being made in these important areas." - EPPR Chair Amy Merten

The Arctic Council’s biodiversity Working Group, the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), has released Pacific Arctic Marine Fishes, an atlas and guide to 101 species in the Pacific Arctic Region.

In May, multiple meetings addressing human health issues in the Arctic took place in Tromsø. These included a workshop on reducing the incidence of suicide in indigenous groups, and a meeting of the Arctic Human Health Expert Group, or AHHEG.

The Expert Group on Black Carbon and Methane meets for the second time in Helsinki, Finland on 8-9 June. Reduction of black carbon and methane emitted within and beyond the borders of Arctic States will have a substantial impact on the Arctic, leading to near-term climate, health, and economic benefits in the Arctic and globally.

Although workshops and exercises have been conducted under the “Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic” since 2014, the formal ratification process was completed in late March 2016.

Local observers can detect subtle changes in weather, landscapes and seascapes, and plant and animal communities. The Arctic Council is working to build a circumpolar network of local environmental observers.

The Arctic marine environment is changing rapidly, and these changes mean new challenges and opportunities in the realm of marine cooperation. The third meeting of the Arctic Council’s Task Force on Arctic Marine Cooperation (TFAMC) will take place in Reykjavik, Iceland on 1-2 June.