We must cooperate across borders to solve shared problems

It’s late August, and I am writing this column on the train as I travel back to Stockholm from a visit to Kiruna, a Swedish town some 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. I have many fantastic impressions, such as seeing Arctic foxes and reindeer, visiting the Tavvavuoma wetland and Lake Råstojaure, and attending in-depth discussions with our Saami hosts about reindeer herding and Saami history.

Among all these experiences, one is especially worth noting: the temperature has ranged from 22°C to 25°C during my visit—unusually warm. Our host in the Saami village of Lainivuoma mentioned that he has almost never experienced tropical nights—with temperatures higher than 20°C—before. Yet there had been several such nights this summer. The old worn-out saying is correct: the Arctic is hot.

In fact, it is so hot politically that the media tend to get it wrong. Earlier in August, the biggest Swedish daily, Dagens Nyheter, ran a story titled “The new Arctic—the quiet conflict few talk about.” The Arctic is an irresistible topic for a journalist looking to write a dramatic story. The rapidly changing area has many challenges—that much is true. But they are no longer new, and the obvious question is whether they should be seen through the lens of great power conflict or through the lens of those who live in and depend on the Arctic. I would say we have to see it through the latter. Cooperation and pragmatic handling of issues are the keys to responsible Arctic management, today and in the future.

We are confident that there is no problem that we cannot solve together through our cooperative relationships on the basis of existing international law and good will.

For example, the Arctic foxes we saw would probably not exist today if not for the collaborative conservation work done by WWF and Norwegian and Swedish authorities. Fifty years ago, there were only 30 or so of these foxes left in Sweden, but now there are around 400. A key aspect of this work has been the Norwegian-Swedish cross-border joint management plan. The habitat of the polar fox spans both countries, and the foxes run back and forth over the border. This is only one example of success in international species protection. There are many others, including plans supporting polar bears and narwhal.

The list of Arctic challenges that will require cooperation to address is long. The region’s unique nature and climate present similar challenges for most Arctic countries and offer the opportunity for all countries to learn from each other. I had the privilege of being at the centre of such cooperation in my previous career as a diplomat, when I was chair of the Senior Arctic Officials of the Arctic Council from 2011 to 2013. This was a time when the spirit of cooperation was at a high. Today, the Council’s work has been put on pause, not due to developments in the Arctic but to events outside the region, such as the war in Ukraine. The announcement in June that some of the Council’s activities would soon resume was welcome.

When much-needed cooperation seems fragile and at risk, it is worth remembering the words of the Arctic states and Permanent Participants as stated in their 2013 vision for the Arctic: We are confident that there is no problem that we cannot solve together through our cooperative relationships on the basis of existing international law and good will.