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Arctic Leadership, Governance and Innovation

In recent decades, the Arctic has undergone major environmental, socio-economic and political change. The Arctic is experiencing escalating and unprecedented environmental change due to industrial expansion and climate change. The rapid loss of Arctic sea ice is having negative consequences on northern communities and lifestyles, on iconic species such as polar bears and walruses, and on the ecology of the Arctic Ocean and permafrost lands.

Furthermore, the Arctic has been experiencing a growth in its non-indigenous population, an increase in urban centres, and rapid expansion in the transportation, communication technological, oil and gas, mining and forestry sectors. These changes have resulted in the growth of Arctic economy Yet, despite the great wealth that has been extracted from the Arctic, development of the North has been uneven and unsustainable.

IISD is committed to working with our circumpolar partners to generate relevant research, to deliver capacity building programming and to explore innovative solutions to the regions' current challenges.

Through our focus on Arctic leadership, governance and innovation, IISD is working towards securing the sustainable development of Canada's North for the next generation.

Research and Outreach

• Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: Advancing the geoengineering debate at the Arctic Council
  (PDF - 640 kb)
  The Arctic is like the canary in the coalmine, warning us about the increasing impact of climate change, which is felt first there. In 2007, the Arctic ice cap shrunk to its smallest size ever recorded, 37 per cent below the recorded average. Its abrupt decline, which deviates widely from the largely linear and predictable trend observed over the past few decades, has alarmed the scientific community and suggests we may be closer to a dangerous "tipping point" than previously anticipated. At the same time, economic globalization is coming to this marginalized region at last through increased resource exploitation, leading in turn to further emissions of greenhouse gases and further climate change.
  
  As unsavoury as it may be, this paper will argue that we must investigate geoengineering as an emergency option in case the mitigation regime fails. Given the dramatic consequences of climate change in the Arctic and the role of this region in the global climate, the Arctic countries have a special responsibility to lead this investigation and the debate surrounding it. As the only circumpolar governance forum on environmental issues, the Arctic Council is an obvious venue for this process. The paper explores the state of global geoengineering governance and how it should be constructed, and how the Arctic Council can contribute.

• Securing a Sustainable Future in the Arctic: Engaging and training the next generation of northern leaders
  Full Paper (PDF - 592 kb) - Executive Summary (PDF - 2 mb)
  In recent decades, the Arctic has undergone major environmental, socio-economic and political changes. The rapid loss of Arctic ice is having negative consequences on northern communities and lifestyles, on iconic species such as the polar bear, and is altering the ecology of the Arctic ocean and the permafrost lands. With the majority of the population in Canada’s North being under the age of 30, they have an enormous stake in the present state of the North as they will ultimately be responsible for shaping the future of the region. Thus, training such a large generation of young people for active citizenry in a region strained by global warming and other sustainability challenges is critical to the future stability of the North. This paper provides an overview of capacity building programs for northern youth; examines what has worked up to now; identifies the existing gaps and barriers; and makes recommendations on what will be needed in the future.

• The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report: Fostering entrepreneurship in the North (PDF - 534 kb)
  Capacity building is an on-going challenge in many Northern communities and regions, particularly entrepreneurial and leadership skill development. It is widely recognized that the development of entrepreneurial skills is essential for the development of a self-reliant, prosperous North. Over the past several years, Aboriginal, educational, government and industry stakeholders have identified entrepreneurial training as a gap in capacity building that needs to be addressed in the North. This workshop report is the start of a process geared to skills training and knowledge translation in this critical area.

• Northern Entrepreneurship (PDF - 542 kb)
  This paper examines economic, social and environmental entrepreneurship for small and medium-sized businesses in the context of the North. Northern entrepreneurship and economic development in the region have increasingly become an area of great interest for both federal and provincial governments with a growing number of programs and funds being established to stimulate entrepreneurial growth in the region. This paper argues that northern entrepreneurs must be supported in order to capitalize on advantages unique to the North, which include: limited competition; the chance to provide essential services to communities; a rich and active cultural heritage; and economic spin-off opportunities from the strong government presence. This means a policy shift is required to ensure that education, business skills, leadership abilities and artistic talents develop simultaneously.

• Arctic Sovereignty and Security in a Climate-changing World (PDF - 642 kb)
  Arctic sovereignty is a complicated business. Promises of vast resources and fabled shipping lanes set free by a melting ice pack have triggered a competition for land and influence across the region. Climate change has made it clear that the Arctic environmental transformation poses some very real security concerns for Canada. There is a danger, however, that these perceived security threats, the shared expectations of what lies beneath the Arctic ice and the race to define our northern sovereignty could overshadow some of the current and expected environmental challenges to be faced by the Arctic ecosystem and the communities that depend upon it. This short report focuses on the important northern issues that Canada should be focusing on beyond those currently grabbing the headlines.

• Ookpik
  This site is designed for Arctic youth, with contributions from Arctic youth. This is a gateway to Arctic youth networks, knowledge, opinions and events

• Youth Networking, Education and Communications Channels Across the Circumpolar Region: A preliminary exploration
  (PDF - 187 kb)
  This brief study is an exploration of youth networks across the Arctic, together with the communications channels they use and their access to formal and informal education channels. This information will help us to develop a better understanding of how to reach and engage youth across the region. This paper was an output of a project that received financial support from the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, the Aboriginal and Circumpolar Affairs unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs Canada and Canada Corps.

• Circumpolar Young Leaders Program (CYLP)
  The CYLP provides northern youth with training and work experience at leading organizations in Arctic countries

• Arctic Future Newsletters
  Arctic Future is a quarterly publication designed to deliver news, information and feature stories about the youth in the North.

• Inuit Observations of Climate Change
  In 1999, IISD, the Community of Sachs Harbour and other partners initiated a year-long project to document Arctic climate change and communicate our findings to Canadian and international audiences. The continued interest in the outputs of this project is a testament to the power of the messages conveyed by the people of Sachs Harbour as they experience some of the first impacts of climate change.

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