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September 3, 2014
 

capital Today's Congressional Action:  

Most members have returned to their districts or states for the August recess. The Senate will hold pro forma sessions during August. The next roll call vote in the Senate is scheduled for September 8th. The House is also in recess until September 8th.

 

 

Media  

  

Arctic Council Brings Polluters to Nunavut Meeting: Greenpeace. Environmental group Greenpeace dumped on Arctic Council chair Leona Aglukkaq as she hosts closed-door meetings in Iqaluit this week, accusing the federal environment minister of cozying up to "some of the biggest polluters on the planet." Greenpeace and Aglukkaq exchanged words publicly Sept. 2, as the two continue to bicker over who better serves Canadian Inuit. Nunatsiaq Online

 

Aglukkaq: Arctic Economic Body Makes Northerners "The Decision-Makers." The new Arctic Economic Council will help northerners become "the decision makers," Leona Aglukkaq said Sept. 2 in a speech that opened the council's founding meeting in Iqaluit. "By working side-by-side with the industry and businesses in the region, we are developing the North for northerners," Aglukkaq said. Nunatsiaq Online 

 

Canada flag Canadian Arctic Policy: Faceoff. The moment was wonderfully Canadian: members of a scientific expedition, upon arriving at the North Pole last Wednesday broke out the pucks for a celebratory game of ice hockey. The levity, however, stood in sharp contrast to the frenzy of diplomatic damage-control being carried out by the country's Foreign Ministry just a day earlier. During a visit to Copenhagen on Monday, John Baird, the foreign minister, was erroneously cited by a Danish journalist, as stating that Canada would defend its sovereignty in the North by force. Arctic Journal  

 

Hungry Nunavik Children Shorter Than Their Well-Fed Peers. The results of a new study in Nunavik seems to suggest that children who don't get enough to eat are shorter than their food secure peers, and more at risk for iron deficiency and anemia. The study, published in the latest issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health, compared the height of 294 children throughout Nunavik, mostly aged 10 and 11, and determined that half the children lived in homes that were food insecure. Nunatsiaq Online

 

Regulatory Options for the Arctic. The year 2015 is going to be a pivotal year in the development of the Arctic; the US is going to assume chairmanship of the Arctic Council and EU is going to make a determined effort to be admitted as an official observer to the Arctic Council. The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness (CRE), who provides staff support to the Pan Arctic Forum, believes that the development of the Arctic resources should be science based and that the EU's adoption of  the precautionary principle is inconsistent with that objective. Consequently the EU proposal for admittance as an observer should not be considered until which time it revokes the precautionary principle. PR News Wire

 

Scientists Study Polar Bears Through DNA from Footprints in Snow. Polar bear scientists have developed a new way to study the mighty Arctic predator -- pulling DNA off footprints left in the snow. Fingerprinting a footprint could fundamentally change how researchers work with the bears by making it easier, cheaper and safer to study an animal that has become politically charged in the debate around climate change and Arctic development. CTV News 

  

Illegal Actions Against Sustainable Whaling in the Faroe Islands Will Not Be Tolerated. Recognizing the widespread international interest in whales and whaling in general, and the Faroese pilot whale drive in particular, the Government of the Faroes underlines the importance it has always placed on dialogue, freedom of speech and the right of all citizens, both in the Faroes and in all other countries, to express their views openly. Faroese authorities will not, however, tolerate the disruption of the pilot whale drive in the Faroe Islands, which is a legal, fully regulated and sustainable use of an abundant natural resource. Pilot whales in Faroese waters continue to provide a valued source of food for the people of our marine-dependent nation, as they have done for centuries. Press release from the Faroese Prime Minister Office via The Arctic Journal

 

US Military Wants Multi-Purpose Sensors in Canada's Arctic. American military officials have shed some light on what Canada could contribute to the missile-defence program should it choose to join after a decade spent on the sidelines. Several conversations with high-ranking U.S. military officers point to a common desire: multi-purpose sensors in Canada's Arctic that would sniff out a wider range of potential threats than just intercontinental ballistic missiles. CBC News

Legislative Actionfutureevents  

 

No Arctic legislation was formally considered yesterday.

Future Events

   

World Trade Center Alaska: Arctic Ambitions Trade Mission to Northern Europe, September 4-14, 2014 (Finland-Norway-Iceland). The Trade Mission will visit Northern and Arctic Europe starting September 4th in Finland and ending September 14 in Iceland, with an intermediary stop in Norway. The itinerary includes three days in each country and features visits to Arctic communities. Familiarization with Northern Europe's economies, and in particular commercial development in the Arctic, is the main goal of this trade mission. The participants will gain useful networking opportunities and a wealth of information on these three countries. For registration and information, please contact WTCAK at (907) 278-7233.

 

Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, September 9-11, 2014 (Whitehorse, Canada). The Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region is a biennial conference for parliamentarians representing the eight Arctic countries and the European Parliament. The biennial conference is attended by representatives from the national parliaments of the Arctic states and the European Parliament. The Arctic indigenous peoples are permanent participants to the cooperation. Observers participate from governments and inter-parliamentary organizations as well as from observer states and relevant international organizations.

 

 Art & Science: An Exhibition of Arctic Climate Change, September 10, 2014 (Washington, DC). Communicating the hard science of Arctic climate change is often a difficult task through language alone. Art, however, is an effective vehicle to communicate the complexities of climate change science to a broad audience. How do Arctic science and the art about it interact, and how does each influence the public perception of Arctic climate change?  Please join the Atlantic Council's Young Atlanticist Program for a roundtable discussion with prominent artists and scientists to discuss the role of visual arts in communicating Arctic climate change science to the public, and the next generation of scientists. Presenters include Dr. John Farrell, executive director of the US Arctic Research Commission. 

 

AOOS Film Contest, Submission Deadline September 15, 2014. 

In celebration of its 10th Anniversary, Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) is seeking short films highlighting Alaska's coast or oceans.   AOOS welcomes films of any genre relating to the ocean (i.e. people using the ocean and coast, marine research, marine wildlife, ocean-related policy issues, etc).  You don't need to be a professional to submit a film!   

 

102nd US Arctic Research Commission Meeting, September 15-16, 2014 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The 102nd USARC meeting will be held in Anchorage. Draft agenda available here

 

2014 Week of the Arctic, October 6-11, 2014 (Nome, Kotzebue and Barrow, Alaska, USA). The Institute of the North will host the 2014 Week of the Arctic. The 2014 Week of the Arctic is a platform for community leaders, subject matter experts and interested stakeholders to learn about the Arctic while contributing to a growing list of priorities and perspectives. Presentations, roundtable discussions and workshops will be held in Nome, Kotzebue and Barrow. Throughout the week, presentations and interviews will be captured on video for distribution through social media and web-based sharing.

 

2014 FAMOS School and Workshop #3, October 21-24, 2014 (Woods Hole, MA). The Forum for Arctic Ocean Modeling and Observational Synthesis (FAMOS) is an international effort to focus on enhancing collaboration and coordination among Arctic marine and sea ice modelers, theoreticians and observationalists synthesize major results from the field studies and coordinated numerical experiments. The major themes of workshop include but not limited by studies focused on: predictions; Arctic observational and modeling initiatives; fate of sea ice in models and observations; atmospheric, sea ice and ocean dynamics; process studies and parameterizations; model validation and calibration; numerical improvements and algorithms; ecosystems, biological issues, and geochemistry.

 

Transatlantic Science Week 2014, October 27-28, 2014 (Toronto, Canada). The purpose of the annual Transatlantic Science Week (TSW) is to promote enhanced cooperation between Canadian, American and Norwegian stakeholders in research, innovation and higher education. TSW is an arena where different stakeholders can meet with the purpose of developing long-term collaborations or partnerships. The conference also hopes to strengthen the linkages that currently exist between the research and education domains. Finally, TSW also provides an excellent arena for dialogue between the research communities and policymakers. 

 

Arctic Circle, October 31-November 2, 2014 (Reykjavik, Iceland).

The Arctic Circle is nonprofit and nonpartisan. Organizations, forums, think tanks, corporations and public associations around the world are invited to hold meetings within the Arctic Circle platform to advance their own missions and the broader goal of increasing collaborative decision-making without surrendering their institutional independence. The Arctic Circle will organize sessions on a variety of issues, such as: Sea ice melt and extreme weather; Polar law: treaties and agreements; The role and rights of indigenous peoples; Security in the Arctic; Shipping and transportation infrastructure; The prospects and risks of oil and gas drilling; Clean energy achievements and sustainable development; Arctic resources; Business cooperation in the Arctic; The role of Asian and European countries in the Arctic; Greenland in the new Arctic; Fisheries and ecosystem management; The science of ice: global research cooperation; Arctic tourism; The ice-dependent world: the Arctic and the Himalayas. 
 

US- Canada Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum, November 4-6, 2014 (Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada). Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and the Canadian Polar Commission in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, are hosting the fourth Canada - United States Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum. The Northern Oil and Gas Research Forum is a biennial meeting with representation from government, industry, academia, Aboriginal groups and Northerners from both Canada and the United States. The Forum provides an opportunity to discuss current and future priorities for northern oil and gas research. The Forum will showcase the value of northern research in support of sound decision-making for oil and gas management.

 

Alaska Policy Commission. November 17-18, 2014 (Anchorage, Alaska). The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission (AAPC) has more important work to do in 2014. The Commission will strive to gather public input and engage with Alaskan communities, state agencies, federal partners, and the international organizations working in the Arctic. In order to meet our goals AAPC will convene three in-person meetings over the course of 2014 and focus on implementation and final recommendations. 

 

The Arctic Biodiversity Congress, December 2-4, 2014 (Trondheim, Norway). The Arctic Biodiversity Congress will present and discuss the main scientific findings of the ABA; facilitate inter-disciplinary discussion, action and status updates on the policy recommendations in the ABA; provide scientific, policy, management, NGO, academia, Indigenous peoples and industry audiences the opportunity to collaborate around the themes of the ABA; advise CAFF on national and international implementation of the ABA recommendations and on the development of an ABA Implementation Plan for the Arctic Council; highlight the work of CAFF and the Arctic Council on circumpolar biodiversity conservation and sustainable development; and, contribute to mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem services, ensuring that the recommendations of the ABA are implemented by not just governments, but many organizations and people across disciplines.

 

Arctic Change 2014, December 8-12, 2014 (Ottawa, Canada). The international Arctic Change 2014 conference aims to stimulate discussion and foster collaborations among people with a vested interest in the Arctic and its peoples. Coinciding with the pinnacle of Canada's chairmanship of the Arctic Council and marking ArcticNet's 10th anniversary, Arctic Change 2014 welcomes researchers, students, Northerners, policy makers, and stakeholders from all fields of Arctic research and all countries to address the numerous environmental, social, economical and political challenges and opportunities that are emerging from climate change and modernization in the Arctic. With over 1000 participants expected to attend, Arctic Change 2014 will be one of the largest trans-sectoral international Arctic research conferences ever held in Canada. 

 

Arctic Frontiers: Climate and Energy, January 18-23, 2015. The earth is in the midst of major climate changes. The Arctic is experiencing the impact of these changes more and faster than other parts of the globe. Processes starting in the Arctic may have deep and profound impacts on other parts of the globe. At the same time the Earth's population is rising and with it the global energy demand. New and greener energy sources are gaining market shares, but still the energy mix of the foreseeable future will have a substantial fossil component. The Arctic is expected to hold major oil and gas resources, while the regions green energy potentials are less explored. The Arctic Frontiers conference is a central arena for discussions of Arctic issues. The conference brings together representatives from science, politics, and civil society to share perspectives on how upcoming challenges in the Arctic may be addressed to ensure sustainable development. Arctic Frontiers is composed of a policy section and a scientific section. 

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