September 22-23, 2011
Conference Programme
Biographies
BACKGROUND:
Over the last several years, the Arctic has received increased international attention and been a source of some diplomatic tension as a consequence of apparently accelerating climatic change and a fluid geopolitical environment. The shrinking polar ice cap is a barometer of the changes being wrought by global environmental change. The claims and counter-claims to jurisdiction by the various coastal states as well as the controversial contention that the Arctic is a regional rather than a global concern illustrate the strategic jockeying for positions in the international community.
The range of issues at play in the Arctic and the lack of a generally-accepted governance structure for resolving them raises the question of whether mechanisms are adequate for, among other things, resolving conflicting claims to access and resources, promoting an appropriate balance between economic interests and other values, assuring sustainability of the natural environment, and protecting the rights of indigenous communities. The question of who should be involved in decision-making and what principles should prevail in determining this are crucial issues for both the littoral states of the Arctic (including Canada), for existing bodies such as the Arctic Council, and for other actors (such as the European Union) who may be impacted by these decisions.
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Presentations by Speakers:
- Pami Aalto (University of Tampere)
- Sandra Cavalieri (Ecologic, Berlin)
- Armand deMestral (McGill University)
- Erica Dingman (World Policy Institute, New York)
- Petra Dolata-Kreutzkamp (King’s College, London)
- Leonid Grigoriev (Higher School of Economics, Moscow)
- Rob Huebert (University of Calgary)
- Markus Kaim (German Institute for International Affairs, Berlin)
- H.E. Matthias Brickmann, (EU Ambassador to Canada)
- H.E. Zenon Kosiniak-Kamysz (Polish Ambassador to Canada)
- H.E. Georg Witschel (Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Canada)
- David Long (Carleton University)
- Donald McRae (University of Ottawa)
- Heather Nicol (Trent University)
- Kristin Offerdal (Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies)
- Joel Plouffe (Université du Québec à Montréal)
- Jaime Reynolds (European Commission, DG Environment)
- Mary Simon (OC, QC, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami)
- Oran Young (UC Santa Barbara)
The Centre for European Studies is grateful to the European Commission, Carleton University, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the Embassies of the Republic of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany in Canada, for support.