SPEAKERS

• Julie Decker, Director of the Anchorage Museum, Alaska
• Graham Hogg, Lateral North, Scotland

Sunday, October 15, 08:00 - 09:00

This session is designed to present the benefits of climate-services; evaluate their value to the long-term climate-resilience strategies of Arctic businesses; discuss why and how such services are to be made available to all Arctic stakeholders; and explore how climate-service development and development of other climate-resilient innovations can be accelerated to meet the growing demands of the Arctic economy.
By conducting this session we hope to further build upon the audiences pre-existing knowledge of what climate-services are and what they can achieve. We would like to draw their attention to the work of “beyond state-of-the-art” research projects such as Blue-Action (EU Horizon 2020 project) and the implications that such work can have for businesses, communities and other such organizations operating in the Arctic region.
Drawing on the first-hand experiences of some of our speakers, we want to transmit to the audience the needs and opportunities of smaller and larger Arctic businesses, with concrete examples of how the products of climate-service development can be effectively incorporated into a long-term business strategy.
Finally, we aim to get the audience to think about the future of the development of climate-service and other climate-related technologies, and what “infrastructure” is needed to foster innovation in this field.

Speakers:

• Mark Payne, Senior Researcher, Danish Technical University: Introduction to climate-services: the opportunities and the benefits
• Mads Randbøll Wolff, Project Manager Nordic Ministry Council for the Nordic Pavilion at COP23: Arctic SME’s and achieving climate resilience
• Øvin Aarnes, DNV GL: Climate-services and their role in long-term business strategy

Panel: 

• Peter Vangsbo, Nordic Business Developer Climate-KIC: Facilitating greater innovation within climate services and climate-resilience, breaking down knowledge silos

Moderator:

• Solveig Zophoniasdottir, Climate KI 

Sunday, October 15, 08:00 - 09:00 Despite thinning of the ice and longer operating windows for ships there is an increasing and very significant interest for accurate and timely ice products focused shipping requirements. Greenland Waters are never totally free of ice. Outside the sea ice season glacial ice remain posing a constant hazard to marine activity. The recent implementation of IMO Polar Code and national regulations on mandatory pilotage for larger passenger vessels have highlighted the need for a development of future ice services.

Speakers:

• Marianne Thyrring, Director General the Danish Meteorological Institute: The importance of ice service and international collaboration
• Keld Qvistgaard: Senior Ice Advisor, Client Relations Manager: The DMI Greenland Ice Service – new requirements, new possibilities

Sunday, October 15, 08:00 - 09:00

This session will evaluate the long-term climate resilience strategies of Arctic businesses; discuss why and how such services are to be made available to all Arctic stakeholders; and explore how climate-resilient innovations can be accelerated to meet the growing demands of the Arctic economy.
How can the products of climate-service development be effectively incorporated into long-term business strategies? In this session, business actors, climate service developers, and policy makers will examine the future development of climate service and other climate-related technologies, and the infrastructure needed to foster innovation in this field.

Speakers: 

• Mark Payne, Senior Researcher, Danish Technical University: Introduction to climate-services; the opportunities and the benefits
• Anna Karlsdóttir, Senior Research Fellow, Nordregio: Climate services and their role in long-term business strategy
• Mads Randbøll Wolff, Project Manager, Nordic Ministry Council for the Nordic Pavilion at COP23: Arctic SME’s and achieving climate resilience
• Peter Vangsbo, Nordic Business Developer Climate-KIC: Facilitating greater innovation within climate services and climate-resilience, breaking down knowledge silos

Chair:

Solveig Zophoniasdottir, Climate KIC

The region’s communities are faced with the direct impacts of climate change and globalization – the lessening of sea ice extent, the increase in marine shipping and tourism, thawing permafrost and coastal erosion, lack of modern infrastructure and essential services, and new economic opportunities. In this dynamic and changing environment, it will be local communities who adapt, manage risk, and work to deliver benefits to community members.

To address these challenges and opportunities, the Arctic region needs new forums of cooperation, learning from- and sharing best practices, and to rethink global partnerships.

This breakout session brings together representatives from an historic Arctic Mayors Roundtable conducted in Fairbanks (May 2017) and the UN Habitat’s Urban Resilience Programme concept for the Arctic Resilient Cities Network to explore new and innovative approaches to cooperation, and to continue the development of pan-Arctic regional capacity building.

Speakers: 

• Dan Lewis, Nairobi, Chief Risk Reduction Unit UN Habitat

Representatives from the Arctic Mayors Forum established in Fairbanks on May 11, 2017:

• Mayor Ida Pinnerød, Bodø, Norway
• Mayor Asii Chemnitz Narup, Sermersooq, Greenland
• Mayor Eiríkur Björn Björgvinsson, Akureyri, Iceland

Chairs:

• Christin Kristoffersen, Oslo, former Mayor of Svalbard, partner Conow & AAG
• Nils Anderssen, Fairbanks, Director Institute of the North