Sustainable Arctic Development in the Era of Low Carbon Transition

Organized by the Arctic Institute, the Scottish Government, UK Government Science & Innovation Network – Nordics 13. September 2017

While there is a great deal of research about the impact of climate change on the Arctic, there is much less work about the role the Arctic itself can play in making the transition to a low carbon economy that is critical to the region’s economy, environment, and public health. 

Saturday, October 14, 16:00 - 17:30
Location: Hafnarkot, Ground Level

This breakout session will bring together cross-disciplinary academic and industry experts from the Arctic states and the UK to explore the challenges, opportunities, and scalability of current low-carbon energy projects and development methods. The aim of this event is to foster a dialogue between Arctic and non-Arctic stakeholders to identify pathways to reduce the carbon footprint and wider environmental, economic, and health impacts of Arctic development, by exploiting low carbon innovation to produce clean energy and industrial decarbonisation, as well as adopting strategies around corporate environmental and social responsibility. The session will begin with a series of 10-minute presentations, followed by an interactive panel discussion and Q&As from the audience.

Speakers:

  • Antti Arasto, Research Manager, Solutions for Natural Resources and Environment, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Wealth from bio economy - national economy perspective on transition to integrated bio- and low carbon technologies
  • Enrique Troncoso, Engineering Consultant / Project leader at Boeing Research & Technology: BIG HIT: Creating a Green Hydrogen Energy System in the Orkney Islands
  • Edvard Glücksman, Senior Environmental and Social Specialist at Wardell Armstrong LLP and University of Exeter: Lessons from Central Asia
  • Berit Kristoffersen, Political geographer and associate professor at UiT – the Arctic University of Norway: Post-petroleum Arctic futures: Potentials and controversies
  • Jane Burston, Head of Energy and Environment, National Physical Laboratory: Measuring methane: from lasers to ghostbusters
  • Gwen Holdmann, Director, Alaska Center for Energy and Power, University of Alaska Fairbanks
  • Andy Kerr, Executive Director, Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation (ECCI), University of Edinburgh: Shared lessons for the Arctic from developing vibrant low carbon communities and regions

Chair:

Louise Heathwaite, Professor of Land and Water Science in the Lancaster Environment Centre at Lancaster University