Category: 2018

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ARKTIKO 2018 seminar

These days, 4th-5th of April, ARKTIKO seminar 2018 is taking place at Lammi biological station, where the experts will be discussing the latest results of their research. The seminar’s theme is economics, including knowledge-based growth. Professor Raimo Väyrynen will give a keynote speech ”Expanding Arctic: Economic and Political Dimensions”.

Professor Tynkkynen will be chairing one of the sessions and will also give a presentation “Knowledge production for sustainable Arctic energy”. More information.

 

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New article about first 5 years of PEEX

A new article “Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) Program: An Overview of the First 5 Years in Operation and Future Prospects”, co-authored by Professor Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen, was published in the journal “GEOGRAPHY, ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABILITY”.

The Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) program was initiated as a bottom-up
approach by the researchers coming from Finland and Russia in October 2012. The PEEX
China kick off meeting was held in November 2013. During its five years in operation,
the program has established a governance structure and delivered a science plan for the
Northern Eurasian region. PEEX has also introduced a concept design for a modelling
platform and ground-based in situ observation systems for detecting land-atmosphere
and ocean-atmosphere interactions. Today, PEEX has an extensive researcher’s network
representing research communities coming from the Nordic countries, Russia and China.
PEEX is currently carrying out its research activities on a project basis, but is looking
for more coordinated funding bases, especially in Russia and in China. The near-future
challenge in implementing the PEEX research agenda is to achieve a successful integration
and identification of the methodological approaches of the socio-economic research to
environmental sciences. Here we give insight into these issues and provide an overview
on the main tasks for the upcoming years.

Read the full article on the journal’s website.

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“Public justification analysis of Russian renewable energy strategies” by Hilma Salonen

Read a new article, written by the reseracher of our group Hilma Salonen. The article titled “Public justification analysis of Russian renewable energy strategies” was published today in the journal “Polar Geography”. 

Hilma Salonen writes in the abstract:

The Russian renewable energy industry has not yet succeeded in breaking through into the domestic market despite its potential, particularly in remote Arctic settlements. This article examines broad issues that influence national policy-makers and provides an analysis of the type of objectives that are emphasized in Russian energy policies. It can be assumed that the priorities behind these objectives have a more stable status than more concrete plans to boost the use of renewables, since they often fail to materialize. In order to discover these priorities, I analyze several relevant policy-making documents with the help of public justification analysis, a method developed to examine public claims made in favor of a certain cause, and the commonly known values that the claim-makers refer to in order to convince others. This paper reveals that Russian energy policy documents tend to emphasize concrete, technical tasks over more abstract, holistic goals. In addition, industrial needs dominate all policies, even those related to socio-economic or environmental issues. I conclude that the tendencies listed above may prevent fundamental structural change in the Russian energy industry, despite the potential of renewable energy, especially in the Arctic regions.

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Estonian radio programme on Nord Stream 2

Professor Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen appeared on a Russian language Estonian Radio 4 programme “Details” (Подробности), where he commented Nord Stream 2 issue from the Finnish perspective. In the programme titled “‘Nord Stream 2’ still causes heated debates” (“Северный поток-2” до сих пор вызывает жаркие споры) professor Tynkkynen said, that there still are political actors in Finland that support the pipeline project, but also there are those who are against.

Those that are supporting the project are emphasizing the economic development, but those that are against the project are touching upon the security issues. Finland has always tried not to politicize the questions of large energy flows. But we all of course understand very well, that if the ‘Nord Stream 2’ is built, that would mean the increase of dependence on Russia in gas supply area.

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Indicators for digitalization of sustainable development goals in PEEX program

Geography, Environment, Sustainability journal published an article “Indicators for digitalization of sustainable development goals in PEEX program” written by Sergey N. Bobylev, Olga Yu.Chereshnya, Markku Kulmala, Hanna K. Lappalainen, Tuukka Petäjä, Svetlana V. Solov’eva, Vladimir S. Tikunov and Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen.

This article describes the Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) program and
indicators for monitoring of implementation and digitalization of Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG) in Russia, especially environmental goals. The authors considered the
possibility of integration and identification of the methodological approaches of the
socio-economic research to environmental sciences. Paper gives insights into the
international framework of the United nations, addreses several relevant indicators to be
monitored in a Russian perspective and summarizes shortly the status of the monitoring
activities and provide an overview on the main tasks for the upcoming years to reach the
sustainable development goals established by the United Nations. The tasks to which
the Goals divided are considered in detail. The indicators of Russian statistics that can be
used to monitor the implementation of these tasks are determined. It is shown, that more
detailed regional analysis and new data is needed in order to quantify the feedbackloops.

The article is available online.

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Russia’s Far North – The Contested Energy Frontier

On the Aleksanteri Institute website an article was published about the new book Russia’s Far North – The Contested Energy Frontier, published earlier this month and edited by professors Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen, Shinichiro Tabata, Daria Gritsenko and Masanori Goto. This book is a final publication of the  “Russia’s final energy frontier – Sustainability challenges of the Russian Far North” Finnish-Japanese research project.

More information on the book and ordering details are available on the publisher’s website.

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Ilta-Sanomat article

Read a new article titled “EU-jäsenmaat pohtivat vastatoimia – näin Venäjä voi yrittää vaikuttaa Suomen linjaan” (EU-member states are thinking of counter-measures – this is how Russia can try to influence Finland’s line) by Ilta-Sanomat, featuring Professor Tynkkynen’s comments:

“We in Europe and in the rest of the world want to rely on law, justice and democratic decision-making. Such measures are poison for unity. It is necessary to have a value discussion on how to respond to this.”

You can access the full article from the newspaper’s web-page.

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New publication with Professor Tynkkynen’s comments

A group of researchers from the International Centre for Defense and Security published a new report “The Geopolitics of Power Grids: Political and Security Aspects of Baltic Synchronization”, for which Professor Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen was interviewed in June.

In the report the nature of the threat posed by Russia is considered and then it is assessed how resilient each of the two areas—and the synchronization links between them and the Baltics—would be in an environment in which there is persistent coercive and destabilizing pressure on the Baltics and their neighbors.

Read the full report here.

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Article about the research group

Read an article introducing the research team and activities on the new website of the Aleksanteri Institute.

— I’m absolutely thrilled by the expertise and energy of these scholars, says Tynkkynen. The individual projects complement each other and new insights and ideas are constantly born.

Eventhough it may prove difficult to directly influence Russian energy and environmental policies via academic research, the outputs might help us to realistically predict and prepare for what lies in the future. Tynkkynen also reminds that the choices made in Finnish politics can send strong signals to Russian energy sector and political leaders.

— Even stronger effects could be achieved via the EU, notes Tynkkynen. So far Finland has not taken up the initiatives challenging the Russian hydrocarbon culture, but maybe we can change this.

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Ilta-Sanomat article

Interview with the Professor Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen was published in Ilta-Sanomat’s article “Ex-pääministereiden Venäjä-kytkökset nousivat jälleen tapetille – ”On selvää, että Venäjällä on tahoja, jotka haluavat ostaa lobbausvoimaa Suomessa”” (Ex-prime ministers’ Russian affiliations came to light again – “It is clear that in Russia there are those who want to buy lobbying power in Finland”).

Read Professor Tynkkynen’s comments on the ties of Paavo Lipponen to Russia in relation to economic projects here.