The Arctic Six on facing major challenges to the north

Challenges and opportunities related to Nordic cooperation in Arctic regions were central to several debates at the Arctic Frontiers conference, held in Tromsø last week.

For researchers from the Arctic Six universities, this was an important forum to highlight topics such as leadership in indigenous communities, sustainable development of Arctic societies, and the dissemination of climate and marine research.

Debate about OECD findings

At Arctic Frontiers, various perspectives emerged on findings in a report which will be published by the OECD this month on green transition and competitiveness in Northern Sparsely Populated Areas (NSPA).

In these areas, stagnation in population development, long transport distances, and loss of industry are identified as major challenges. Fisheries, agriculture, and forestry drive economic development in the regions. Nevertheless, progress is being made in terms of the number of patents registered, emission reductions and the development of renewable energy.

The report makes several recommendations, including facilitating a flexible workforce, digitalisation, inter-municipal cooperation, decentralisation, development of infrastructure for renewable energy, and focusing on energy security.

Which other universities would be better positioned to do research and implement educational programmes that are needed in the Arctic? We have been operating in this region for decades.

Director of The Arctic Six, Dag Avango, emphasises that the Arctic Six Chairs have a broad mandate to establish interdisciplinary research programmes addressing the challenges faced by Norway, Sweden, and Finland in Arctic regions. This also includes collaboration with industry and the public sector through the concept of Arctic Six Extended.

"We have research collaborations where we connect expertise from all six universities, relating to major challenges in the north. This touches on several of the themes and challenges raised in the OECD report," says Avango.

He stresses that the climate crisis and green transition greatly affect local communities in the north, especially concerning the fair management of natural resources. Additionally, he believes that challenges related to security are under-communicated. With the research efforts Arctic Six universities does in these areas, he believes decision-makers in Nordic capitals and Brussels are increasingly listening to the researchers involved.

“Which other universities would be better positioned to do research and implement educational programmes that are needed in the Arctic? We have been operating in this region for decades. We are deeply embedded in different stakeholders here. We are living and experiencing the challenges that are here," he states.

People sitting on a stage. — Session at Arctic Frontiers on the topic indigenous leadership: From the left: Torjer Olsen, Liv Inger Somby, Maren Benedicte Nystad Storslett, Justin Langan and Arne Flåøyen. Foto: David Jensen / Arctic Frontiers

Research and decolonisation

A key pillar for building sustainable communities is competent and skilled leadership. Former Arctic Six Chair and Professor of Indigenous Studies, at Centre for Sami Studies, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Torjer Olsen, highlighted how we can support leadership among indigenous peoples within the research sector.

According to him, researchers have played a significant role in the colonisation process by directing the acquisition of knowledge, storytelling, and explanations about what Sámi culture and society are. He believes this has created inacccurate representations that have led to alienation and silence among indigenous peoples and minorities.

Olsen emphasised that in recent decades, however, there has been a decolonisation of research where indigenous researchers have raised critical perspectives that are increasingly being considered.

“They have raised criticism not only about how research was done, but also what was researched. How do we answer the challenges from the Norwegian Truth and Reconciliation Commission? We see indigenous scholars growing in numbers. Still we are too few. There needs to be more saami scholars. This is matter of recruitment and leadership,” Olsen points out.

He refers to the fact that research with an indigenous perspective faces sharp competition and that leadership is needed to organise funding for such programmes.

How do we answer the challenges from the Norwegian Truth and Reconciliation Commission? We see indigenous scholars growing in numbers. Still we are too few. There needs to be more saami scholars. This is matter of recruitment and leadership.

People sitting before a screen. — Debate at Arctic Frontiers on ocean science cooperation in the Arctic. From the left: Florence Robine, Peter Sköld, Keith Larson, Gunn-Britt Retter and Jérôme Fort. Foto: Kim Bredesen / UiT

The Arctic Six contributing to the polar year

Currently, the Arctic is experiencing global warming at a rate four times faster than the rest of the world. This has, among other things, led to the Arctic sea ice losing half of its extent in the summer since the first satellite measurements were conducted. The consequences of such climate changes in the Arctic will be central to the Fifth International Polar Year 2032-2033 (IPY).

This is an ambitious research programme where leading international polar research communities will contribute to finding new answers to previously unanswered questions about nature and society in the Arctic. The areas to be explored will be determined by The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) during the ICARP IV research conference taking place in the USA this year.

Facts about The Arctic Six

Alliance between six Arctic universities in Norway, Sweden, and Finland.
Together, the universities have 10,000 researchers and 100,000 students.
Collaborates on education, research, and innovation that can contribute to developing the Arctic as a sustainable region.
Actors within business and industry in the three countries also engage in close collaboration with Arctic Six universities.
Arctic Six also constitutes a separate regional center for the international UArctic network.

Several Arctic Six partner universities have ambitions to contribute with research capacity to IPY. UiT now has coordinating responsibility for the research programme Arctic Ocean 2050, which encompasses a network of 18 research institutions, with one billion NOK available over a 10-year period.

European polar research communities can also contribute to IPY through The European Polar Board (EPB), which aims to improve the coordination of research projects in the Arctic and Antarctic.

The EPB's secretariat has recently established a secretariat at Umeå University. EPB is a member of both the planning committee for IPY and ICARP IV. The Chair of EPB, Peter Sköld, believes the organisation can play an important role in promoting the significance of polar research in building a comprehensive picture of what the changes the Arctic entails.

"The Arctic is also a political arena. We should convince decision-makers that developments in the Arctic concern all of Europe. To be able to communicate what research is being done through IPY, it is important to facilitate educational initiatives that can lead to the recruitment of younger researchers," Sköld points out.

We fail to communicate how serious global warming is. Do we really have the motivation to reverse global warming? The figures on warming in the Arctic mean nothing to the public; it is 'business as usual'.

How science communication can reach out

How it is possible to communicate the grave situation in the Arctic polar research has revealed is also a concern for Keith Larson, director of the Arctic Centre at the Umeå University. He points out that the analytical capacity within polar research far exceeds what was possible twenty years ago.

Research now being conducted in the Arctic, according to him, gives quite clear indications that the next major threshold in nature is reached at 2 degrees of warming. However, such warnings do not lead to a greater awakening, Larson believes.

A big screen with slogan — Slogan of Arctic Six, presented on a big screen at Arctic Frontiers. Foto: Kim Bredesen / UiT

"We fail to communicate how serious global warming is. Do we really have the motivation to reverse global warming? The figures on warming in the Arctic mean nothing to the public; it is 'business as usual'. We must start telling how this affects people's daily lives. There are mountains of information about the Arctic."

For Larson, it is important to expand communication beyond the purely scientific. He wants a broader range of perspectives on the Arctic to reach the public, with new narratives. Therefore, he wants efforts to be made during the International Polar Year to highlight what the future could hold for people in the Arctic.

"The architects behind cathedrals in the Middle Ages understood that they would not see their work completed. We cannot know what kind of technology we will have in 100 years, but we can work towards certain goals. This is a collective problem; we must move beyond our individual silos and understand that science concerns more than just those with a doctorate," Larson concludes.

Published: 04.02.25 09:00 Updated: 04.02.25 15:57

Arctic Indigenous people Sustainability