Category: ARKTIKO

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Popularized version of Hanna Lempinen’s and Lassi Heininen’s article published in Versus

A popularized version of “Paikallisten elämäntyylit, alkuperäiskansojen kulttuurit? Kulttuuri ja sen kestävyydet arktisten valtioiden strategioissa.” article by Hanna Lempinen  and Lassi Heininen was published in Versus online research forum. The piece is titled “Ovatko kulttuurit vain välineitä arktisille valtioille?” (Are cultures only instruments for the Arctic states?).

In the article the question of what the Arctic states mean by culture and how they talk about their cultures, their meaning, and their future in their Nordic strategies. You can read the full article and the comments written by Artic researchers on it at the Versus website.

 

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Sanna Kopra’s paper received international award

Researcher from our team Sanna Kopra received the International Studies Association English School Section’s Outstanding Research Paper Award for her work “China and international climate responsibility: Agency and Institutional Change”. Congratulations to Sanna!

Picture by Liisa Kauppila, taken from Aleksanteri Institute website.

 

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ISA 2018

Sanna Kopra took part at the International Studies Association Conference, held in San Francisco on 4-7 of April. Together with Liisa Kauppila she gave a presentation “China and the Construction of the Arctic International Society” at the panel “East Asia and the Future of International Society”.

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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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“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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Article in The Ulkopolitist

Our researcher Sanna Kopra together with Liisa Kauppila published a new article “Suomi ja Kiinan arktisen vallan anatomia: pehmeää, kovaa ja terävää?” (Finland and the anatomy of China’s Arctic power: soft, hard and sharp) in The Ulkopolitist.

China’s interests now extend to every corner of the world, even more to the open Arctic. The rising Great Power tries to influence the development of the Arctic by a multifaceted range of ways, including some of which Finland should be aware.

Read the full article here.

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HS article

Read the new article co-authored by Sanna Kopra – “Jääsilkkitie sai Kiinan kiinnostumaan Pohjolasta” ( Ice Silk Road Attracted China’s Interest in the North) published on Helsingin Sanomat.

The importance of the North Dimension has been emphasized in China’s strategy, and its interest in the Arctic countries, including Finland, has increased.

As climate change progresses north of Siberia, the seaway that China named the Ice Silk Road is opening. The Ice Silk Road is a strategically important project as it enables the transportation of natural resources through the ice to the Chinese market. By increasing the use of natural gas from the Arctic, China seeks to reduce the pollution from coal burning, especially the smog in large cities. The Ice Silk Road can also significantly speed up the carriage of cargo between China and Europe. Read more on Helsingin Sanomat.

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Turun Sanomat article

An article by Sanna Kopra was published in Turun Sanomat. The article titled “Kiina haluaa varmistaa paikkansa Arktiksella” (China Wants to Secure Its Place in the Arctic). The article is available for the TS subscribers here.

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Article on Politiikasta

Sanna Kopra’s article “Kiinan Arktinen diplomatia pyrkii vähentämään uhkakuvia” (China’s Arctic Diplomacy Seeks to Reduce Threats) was published on Politiikasta. The article observes how China’s recent and anticipated Arctic strategy seeks to increase the transparency of the policy by reducing the mistrust that China’s growing interest in the region has created among the Arctic states.

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Arctic Frontiers 2018

On 25th of January Hanna Lempinen gave a presentation “Local resources, international climate policies and salvaging the welfare state: Peat production at the symbolical core of Finnish energy-economy-society interface” at the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø, Norway.

While much of the debates over the Arctic energyscape are dominated by the pros, cons and prospects of northern oil and gas extraction, this presentation takes a focus on another Arctic non-renewable energy resource that sits uncomfortably between regional economic development and international climate policy priorities: peat. While at the official level the national climate and energy policies have shifted from “peat promotion” to gradually phasing out its use in favor of more climate-friendly energy alternatives, local and industry efforts to define peat as a “slowly renewable biomass fuel” continue.

Although the share of peat in Finland’s national energy mix has gradually decreased to around five percent, the importance it still has in terms of supply security and regional economics and employment, the adverse environmental and climate impacts of peat production, and the colorful lobbying campaigns of peat producer associations make sure that the attention that peat receives in political and popular agendas remains larger than its size. This presentation takes an empirical focus on the most recent public peat promotion campaign in Finland with an aim to highlight the fundamental intertwinements of “the idea of peat” and the Finnish society. As such, it provides a case study approach to the often complex discursive interplay of northern local “realities” and shifting international policy priorities in the era of accelerating global warming.