Sunday, October 15, 12:45 - 13:45

Eigg is the first island in Scottish history to be bought back from a private absentee owner. Applecross now has a hydro electric system – Apple Juice – owned by the community. And the world’s first community owned distillery is about to start production in Dingwall.

How have these buyouts tackled problems of depopulation, high energy prices and unemployment? Join us to find out how these local economies are being stimulated through innovative models of community investment and ownership.

“Scotland and the New North” is the focus of the Arctic Forum to be hosted in Scotland in November 2017. Sustainable economic development in remote communities will be a major theme to be explored during the forum.

Speakers:

• Maggie Fyffe MBE, Secretary of the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust: Eigg – the community owned island. Eiggtricity
• John Fraser Mckenzie, a helicopter pilot, farmer and green energy advocate: GlenWyvis – the community owned distillery, The Community Spiri
• Alison Macleod, Development Officer for Applecross Community Company: From petrol to Apple Juice

Chair:

• Lesley Riddoch, Director of Nordic Horizons

Sunday, October 15, 12:45 - 13:45

Finding the right combination of technologies, storage and transmission can however be challenging. The session will provide an overview of the cutting-edge solutions being implemented to address renewable energy security in remote arctic communities. A look at how a variety of renewable energy solutions can be deployed in remote communities for renewable energy independence. Exploring opportunities for community development, commercial development, and tourism. Participants will cover both models for and examples of successful community transitions and specific technology solutions.

Panelists:

• Peter Vangsbo, Nordic Business Developer, Climate-KIC Nordic
• Guðmundur Sigurðarsson, CEO of Vistorka Company: Creative Approaches to Renewable Energy Independence
• Gwen Holdmann, Director, Alaska Center for Energy & Power*: Lab services for remote microgrid technology & deployment
• Jay Friedlander, Professor and Sharpe-McNally Chair of Green and Socially Responsible Business: Make sustainability strategic with the Abundance Cycle

Chair:

• Ágústa Ýr Þorbergsdóttir, Director, Navigo

Sunday, October 15, 12:45 - 13:45

In spite of this, there in the Arctic is high geopolitical stability based on resilient international and interregional cooperation between the Arctic states and globally, which is a precondition for environmental protection, sustainable development and regional security. This session will discuss how the ‘militarized’ Arctic has been ‘environmentalized’ by growing concern on the environment, and how security has been reconceptualized when the environment matters. It will concentrate on environmental impacts by the military, as both a universal and special feature of Arctic security, and how to clean-up after a ‘party’ (the arms race of the Cold War) and eliminate environmental damage in Northern regions.

Speaker: 

• Lassi Heininen, Professor, University of Lapland: Environmental Impacts and Risks of the Military, in Peacetime – an Overview
• Michael Byers, Professor & Canada Research Chair, Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia: Toxic Splash: Russian Rocket-Stages Dumped in Arctic Waters Raise Health and Environmental Concerns
• Anatoly Shevchuk, Deputy Chairman of the SOPS VAVT under the Ministry of Economic Development, Professor of RANEPA, Academician of REA: Evaluation and elimination of accumulated ecological damage in the Russian Arctic zone
• Alexander Sergunin, Professor, St. Petersburg State University: The Changing Role of Military Power in the High North

Moderator:

• Heather Exner-Pirot, Strategist for Outreach and Indigenous Engagement, University of Saskatchewan, Managing Editor, Arctic Yearbook

Sunday, October 15, 12:45 - 13:45

This session will bring together industry representatives, financiers, and researchers to explore new opportunities for development in and understanding of the northern high latitudes, and how these opportunities are enabled by and/or contribute to Arctic research. Panelists will highlight examples of how Arctic science has facilitated industry and how Arctic business has enabled Arctic science. The idea is to showcase case studies and best practices to model behaviors and lessons learned to lay the ground for future cooperation.

Speakers:

• Kelly Drew, Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks: Translating mechanisms of hibernation in Arctic species for rural and remote emergency medicine shows how Arctic research can impact world health.
• Sara Longan, Executive Director, North Slope Science Initiative (NSSI), US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management: Perspectives on integrating science into Arctic development planning and approvals
• Tara Sweeney, Arctic Economic Council Vice-Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Executive Vice President of External Affairs for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation: Perspectives from industry in the Arctic and the broader voice of the AEC, which facilitates Arctic business-to-business activities and responsible economic development through the sharing of best practices, technological solutions, standards, and other information
• Andrea Tilche, Head, Climate Action and Earth Observation Unit, European Commission: The Business Case for Arctic Observations
• Toril I. Røe Utvik, Manager Arctic Unit, Statoil: Academia-industry cooperation in Norwegian Arctic research

Chair:

• Larry Hinzman, Vice-President, International Arctic Science Committee, Chair, IASC Action Group of Arctic Science & Business/Industry Cooperation, Vice Chancellor for Research, the University of Alaska Fairbanks

Sunday, October 15, 12:45 - 13:45

The session will commence with the chair discussing the current state of affairs with respect to the UK and the Arctic and Nordic regions. Subsequently, each panellist will make a short presentation highlighting strengths and opportunities in their particular sectors. This will be followed by a Q&A session for 30 minutes. The key objective of the panel is to help attendees understand what opportunities might exist, what support they can expect from us, and how best they can access the UK market.

Speakers:

• Dwayne Ryan Menezes, Director, Polar Research and Policy Initiative; Director, Think-Film Impact Production: Arts and Culture
• Ilan Kelman, Reader, UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London,Member of the Advisory Board, Polar Research and Policy Initiative: Education and Risk Management
• Thomas Bishop, Project Lead, WilkinsonEyre Head, Built Environment Unit, Polar Research and Policy Initiative: Architecture and Infrastructure
• Domagoj Baresic, Fellow, Shipping Unit, Polar Research and Policy Initiative, Global Energy Institute, University College London: Shipping
• Nic Craig, Fellow, Energy Unit, Polar Research and Policy Initiative: Energy
• Richard Clifford, Fellow, Geopolitics and Security Unit, Polar Research and Policy Initiative: Scotland and the North

Chair: 

• Terzah Tippin Poe, Lecturer, Harvard University, Member of the Advisory Board, Polar Research and Policy Initiative

Sunday, October 15, 12:45 - 13:45

Speakers: 

• Halldór Björnsson: Climate change in Iceland
• Jón Ólafsson: Rapid ocean acidification in Icelandic waters
• Ólafur S. Ástþórsson: Changes in Marine ecosystems around Iceland
• Trausti Baldursson: Changes terrestrial flora and fauna
• Brynhildur Davíðsdóttir: Societal impacts of climate change in Iceland.

Because of their potential scalability, low risk and cost-effectiveness, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are offering a new paradigm for the monitoring and sustainable management of polar and high latitude regions to complement satellite observations. These innovative platforms offer opportunities in a wide variety of science disciplines and practical applications and services .The session will involve keynote presentations to illustrate recent advances in the field, followed by a panel discussion to review opportunities and challenges in using autonomous vehicles for polar research and operational services.

Speakers: 

• Phil Anderson - Head of Marine Technology, Scottish Association for Marine Science, United Kingdom
• Craig M. Lee, APL, Senior Principal Oceanographer, Applied Physics Laboratory, Professor, School of Oceanography, University of Washington: Multi-platform Autonomous Approaches for Sustained Arctic Observing
• Emanuel Ferreira Coelho: Challenges and solutions using robotic networks to characterize the Ocean-Acoustic Underwater Environments in the High North
• Thorben Wulff, AWI, Bremerhaven, Germany: The coupling between physical and ecological processes - fine scale investigations with an AUV in the Arctic

So far Russia is the only Arctic Council member state that is a part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Will an ‘ice road’ be added to China’s growing cross-regional trade networks, and if so, how will this development affect Beijing’s expanding Arctic diplomacy and strategy? What does this mean for the other Arctic states? What are the challenges and opportunities for them in being a part of this initiative? This session will discuss the Belt and Road Initiative both from the perspective of China and the Arctic states.

Speakers:

• Marc Lanteigne, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies (CDSS) at Massy University, Auckland, New Zealand: China's Belt and Road and the Role of the Arctic
• Egill Thor Nielsson: Executive Secretary, CNARC and Visiting Scholar, Polar Research Institute of China: An Ice Silk Road From China to the Nordics
• Mingming Shi, Project manager: China's economic diplomacy in Greenland: an issue for Denmark?