From Washington, D.C. to Tromsø
Thousands of cherry trees were in full bloom as the Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic visited Washington, D.C., from 20–23 March. Rarely have the city’s famous trees blossomed this early – a clear sign of the changing climate.
During our three days in Washington, we met with key decision-makers and gained insight into how they view the prospects for continued cooperation in the Arctic. The loss of collaboration with Russian scientists and the lack of data from Russia, particularly within climate research, are seen as serious setbacks for Arctic cooperation. The long-term consequences remain uncertain and worrying. One way to compensate for this is to strengthen research collaboration among the remaining Arctic states. It is still unclear how this situation may affect planning for the next International Polar Year in 2032–2033.
Several of our American colleagues expressed high expectations that Norway’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council will provide steady leadership and wise navigation through challenging Arctic waters – something we were very pleased to hear.
Another topic of discussion was how the work of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, co-chaired by Norway’s Prime Minister and the President of Palau, can support sustainable ocean management in countries with vastly different contexts and capacities. We highlighted our approach in the Blue Compass report as a potential model for translating international recommendations into national action.
Timely enough, the Biden–Harris Administration launched the U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan on Tuesday, 21 March. The new plan clearly recognises the ocean as a vital resource in tackling the climate and nature crises and driving the green transition. The ocean is part of the solution, not a victim. This reflects our own view in Norway, and it is encouraging to see that we are moving in the same direction.
Our work on marine enterprise zones was presented in several meetings and received positive feedback. We left with the impression that Norway has a somewhat easier starting point for achieving good coexistence solutions, due to lower levels of conflict and a highly trust-based society. We heard about entrenched divisions between offshore wind and fisheries, and between aquaculture and environmental interests, along the U.S. East Coast. This inspires us to continue facilitating inclusive processes and dialogue aimed at finding integrated solutions that everyone can accept.
We also learned about developments in Alaska that resemble the situation in Norway. The U.S. administration now places much greater emphasis on including local communities and Indigenous peoples in decision-making processes than before. The appointment of Alaskan expert Mike Sfraga as the United States’ first Arctic Ambassador adds legitimacy to this approach. After all, it is a long way from Washington to Alaska – just as it is a long way from Oslo to Kirkenes.
Best regards,
Jan-Gunnar, Sigri and Else
