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The Arctic: A Place for the Miraculous

Rovaniemi Airport in cold winter, Finland: Where to go from here?
Photo: Peter Prokosch

By Chen Yitong, Student Representative of Board of Governors of UArctic, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Polar and Deep Ocean Development Centre, Koguan Law School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Just two weeks ago, I was checking the temperature of Rovaniemi in Finland, which was the destination of my forthcoming trip. It was to be around -3°C during that week. I laughed, “Wow, it’s not so cold in the Arctic!”

I continued my regular habit of reading news on the Arctic and saw that the town of Mohe, in northernmost China, was as cold as -57°C in mid-November. It was a really interesting coincidence and contrast at that moment, reminding me that some places in China are sometimes colder than the Arctic.

China is deeply affected by climate change, and at the same time becoming the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide. As the early alarm for global climate change, the Arctic is currently suffering the most dramatic warming on the globe. Linkages between China and the Arctic have increased in recent years, especially after China became an observer of the Arctic Council. Many policymakers and experts in China have interests in climate change, scientific research, maritime shipping in the Arctic, for example. However, even with that very few ordinary Chinese people have much knowledge about the Arctic.

During the years of my Arctic research, I’ve also been observing the relationship between the Arctic and China, through attending international conferences and academic communication with Arctic scholars and members. Since 2013 when China became an observer at the Arctic Council, I delightfully discovered that the opinions on the Arctic from Chinese media and cyber citizens were not as shallow anymore. Many officials and scholars talked about respect, responsibility, environmental protection and international collaboration. In the meantime, several scholars from Arctic countries told me they used to have much doubt and suspicion towards China’s attitude and activities in the Arctic, but they have changed their mind in recent years. They even sincerely told me they think the central government should clearly announce China’s Arctic policy or publish a paper as soon as possible, which would much more transparently clarify China’s attitude to the Arctic with positive effect.

I see the Arctic as a place for the miraculous. No other international organization besides the Arctic Council recognizes indigenous people as permanent participants. Outside the Arctic, I see no region with so many soft laws working effectively and being obeyed by so many countries. I also witness the transformation from soft into “hard” laws, with binding agreements on oil spills and search and rescue. While the phenomenon of fragmentation of international law obviously occurs in the Arctic, we see new traditions and innovations in international law and governance. With the Arctic Council and its parallel frameworks like UNCLOS I believe the Arctic miracle will continue.

 

Photo: http://www.grida.no/photolib/detail/rovaniemi-airport-in-cold-winter-finland-where-to-go-from-here_da67

Table of Contents

  1. Letter from the Editor in Chief

    By Outi Snellman

  2. 20 Years of Peaceful Cooperation

    By Børge Brende

  3. Celebrating 20 Years of the Arctic Council

    By David Balton

  4. International Cooperation for Arctic Prosperity

    By Sergey Lavrov

  5. Minister Greetings: Finland

    By Timo Soini

  6. Minister Greetings: Iceland

    By Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson

  7. Setting the Stage for Arctic Cooperation

    By Eirik Sivertsen

  8. It All Started in Rovaniemi

    By Markku Heikkilä

  9. Interview with Mary Simon

    By Stig Brøndbo

  10. Interview with Thorvald Stoltenberg

    By Stig Brøndbo

  11. Interview with Alona Yefimenko

    By Stig Brøndbo

  12. Interview with Sheila Watt-Cloutier

    By Stig Brøndbo

  13. The Role of the Working Groups in the Work of the Arctic Council

    By David Stone and Lars-Otto Reiersen

  14. Science to Policy: Arctic Biodiversity Assessment

    By Tom Barry and Courtney Price

  15. The Arctic Council: A Model for Cooperation

    By Timo Koivurova

  16. The Arctic Council: A Victory for Soft Law & Soft Security

    By Heather Exner-Pirot

  17. The Arctic Council: Maintaining Peace Through Cooperation

    By Michael Byers

  18. Arctic Human Development

    By Joan Nymand Larsen and Gail Fondahl

  19. Towards Revival of Arctic Cooperation

    By Olli Rehn

  20. The Arctic Economic Council: Connecting with the Business Community

    By Tara Sweeney

  21. Love & Peace

    By Else Berit Eikeland and Gunn-Britt Retter

  22. Working Inside the Arctic Council: Arctic Change and World Reindeer Herders

    By Mikhail Pogodaev and Anders Oskal

  23. Observer States in the Arctic Council: A Way Forward to Better Cooperation

    By Justin Kim

  24. The Arctic Council Adapting to the Future

    By Arild Moe, Svein Vigeland Rottem and Olav Schram Stokke

  25. The Way Forward for the Arctic Council

    By Oran R. Young

  26. Student Profiles

    By students from Arctic states

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