Category: Event

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STN:n luonnonvaraseminaari

Strategic Research Council‘s seminar on natural resources is taking place today in Helsinki, and Sakari Höysniemi from the Winland project is taking part in it. The seminar’s title is “Veden, ruoan ja energian globaali kysyntä ja sen merkitys Suomelle” (Global demand for water, food and energy and its importance for Finland).

The presentation made by Winland for the seminar can be downloaded here.

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Asia on the Move

Our doctoral students Karoliina Hurri and Sohvi Kangasluoma are spending this week in Norway, taking part in the “Asia on the Move” conference in Tromsø and a PhD workshop on-board Hurtigruten cruise ship sailing between Tromsø and Svolvær. The event is organised by the Nordic NIAS Council in collaboration with the Centre for Peace Studies, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway. The conference is held on 5th-7th of November and the workshop from 7th to 9th.

Asia – a region that contains nuclear states, the second and third largest economies in the world, the largest global population – is on the move!
The continent which has changed the most in the 21st century is Asia: be it Asia’s engagement with the Arctic region, presence in Africa, economic prominence, or geopolitical influence within and outside of the region, increased population movements in and outside Asia, increased risk of climate change, democratization and citizenship issues, nuclear proliferation and security threats to and from some of the Asian countries – all require in-depth analysis for good global governance.
For example, the rise of China in Central Asia has led to many speculations, including a ‘New Great Game’ with Russia and the United States. On the other hand, new moves from both parties on the Korean peninsula may see a ‘new hope’ for peace.  Sideways, in the context of climate change and ‘arctic race’, new geo-ecopolitical, and geostrategic dynamics led to the growing interest of non-Arctic states in the affairs of the Arctic. Engagement of countries like China, Japan, Korea and India in the Arctic will significantly influence the evolving dynamics in that region.
Meanwhile, forced migration (e.g. Rohingya issues) and climate change induced displacement, corruption, violation of human rights and citizenship, crisis in Asian mega cities, and rising inequality have huge influence on ‘The Move’ and hence require much attention from policymakers and academics working on Asia.

At the PhD workshop, Sohvi presents a paper for NIAS PhD course – Theoretical background and operationalization of human security from a feminist perspective titled  “A feminist approach: Impacts of oil and gas sector to human security in Arctic communities”, and Karoliina presents a paper for NIAS PhD course Research Design and Key Concepts “China’s Leadership Role in Climate Negotiations: A case of BASIC countries, BRICS group and the Arctic Council”.

Check conference website for more information on the event.

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Professor Tynkkynen giving expert opinion at the Grand Committee today

Today Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen was invited again to the Grand Committee (Finnish Parliament’s EU Committee) to give an expert opinion on EU energy politics during the discussion of the Directive 2009/73/EC of the European Parliament. Professor Tynkkynen was one of the experts invited to the Parliament, together with Arto Rajala from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Olga Väisänen from Gasum Oy, Communications Manager EU and Nordic Policies of Nord Stream 2 Tapio Pekkola and Nord Stream 2 advicer Paavo Lipponen.

More information can be found on the Parliament’s website.

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MPK alumni meeting

Another alumni meeting took place yesterday. Professor Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen gave a talk on “Venäjä – energiasuurvalta? Energia. Valta. Kulttuuri” (Russia – an energy superpower? Energy. Power. Culture) at the MPK (Maanpuolustuskurssi) alumni meeting. The presentation was followed by a discussion with other alumni of the National Defense Training Association of Finland.

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Päättäjäalumnien ja yliopiston ystävien tapaaminen

Yesterday Professor Tynkkynen participated in the Päättäjäalumnien ja yliopiston ystävien tapaaminen (Helsinki University alumni and University’s friends meeting), organised by the Rector Jari Niemelä at the University of Helsinki. Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen gave a presentation titled “Hydrocarbon culture in Russia”. The meeting was organised at Porthania and had distinguished guests taking part in it.

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Research group on the Russian environment at the 18th Annual Aleksanteri Conference

From 24 to 26 of October Aleksanteri Institute organised the 18th Annual Aleksanteri Conference. This year’s theme was “Liberation – Freedom– Democracy? 1918–1968–2018”. Several members of our team participated in the conference.

Sakari Höysniemi chaired the panel “FRRESH (Finnish-Russian Network in Russian and Eurasian Studies) Perspectives to Russia and Beyond” on Thursday, 25th of October and Sohvi Kangasluoma chaired the panel “Peace Movement and the Third World” on Friday, 26th of October.

Dmitry Yagodin was a discussant and a chair at the panel “Russian Media Lab IV: Internet Regulation, Online Censorship and Resistance” on Thursday, 25th of October. He also presented a paper “Climate change coverage in the Russian national and local media” at “Russian Media Lab V: Media framing and Conflict” panel same day.

 

While other presenters of the panel spoke about issues widely discussed in Russian media like Telegram messenger or the Ukranian conflict, Dmitry was talking, in his own words, about an issue that is unfortunately not on the agenda in Russia – climate change. He presented his ongoing research on the media coverage of the Anthrax outbreak in YNAO in 2016. Climate change as the cause of the accident was not as interesting for the press in the region as one could imagine – a sign of Russian climate skepticism. However, several months after the outbreak there was a scientific conference on climate change organised in Yamal. Yet, the purpose of it, according to Doctor Yagodin, was not to raise the awareness about climate change, but rather to transfer the responsibility for the casualties among the reindeer population and one child’s death to something that was out of control of the officials and scientists – record high hot temperatures and permafrost and peat thawing.

Stephanie Hitztaler, another postdoctoral researcher of our team, presented her work that she does in the frameworks of Arctic PIRE project –  “A fossil fuel empire and the recasting of people and place in the Russian Arctic” at the panel Regional Issues in Russia on Friday, 26th.

 

Stephanie was talking also about Yamal region, calling it a place of massive industrialization. Doctor Hitztaler presented mega projects of Gazprom and Gazprom Neft companies, that are parastatal. However, their decisions are not solely motivated by politics, they have also strategic agenda. Stephanie showed the “Rodnye goroda” project agenda and pictures of the street art of “Festival Stenograffia», that creates murals in this area – a pretty way to brighten up and change the community. With this kind of projects Gazprom and Gazprom Neft are really trying to make the case of empowering people to make a change in their communities. At the same time, the actual landscape is getting a rapid transformation because of Gazprom Neft (for example, shrub dominated vegetation transformed into grass dominated) but this art as in “Stenograffia” festival gives a sense of stability, it doesn’t change over time.

The presentations of both Dmitry and Stephanie showcased different issues in the same region and inspired the audience to think about the Arctic region and the change it is undergoing now.

More information on the conference can be read on the event’s webpage.

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Arctic Circle Assembly

From 19th to 21st of October 2018 Arctic Circle Assembly was taking place in Reykjavík, Iceland. Our research group was well represented there.

All in all, there were 2000 participants, and our doctoral student Sohvi Kangasluoma was one of them.


On 19th of October several researchers were introducing their works at the “Paving the Frozen Silk Road – Eastern Outlooks on Arctic Geopolitics and Socio-economic Development” panel, chaired by Sanna Kopra. Jussi Huotari talked about “Arctic LNG and global production networks (GPN)”. Liisa Kauppila and Sanna Kopra presented their work “China and Arctic Futures” and Hilma Salonen gave a presentation “Energy Deliveries in the Russian Arctic: Established Systems and New Networks”.

On 20th of October Hanna Lempinen was presenting her paper titled “Societal Aspects of Energy Security: Insights from the Euro-Arctic Region” at the panel “Human Security in the Barents Region”.

At the Assembly there were 600 presenters taking part in 120 sessions and we are delighted that our research group made a worthy contribution. More information on the conference can be found here.

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Tartu Workshop “Democracy in Reverse: Patterns of Autocratization in Eastern Europe and Eurasia”

On 19th of October UPTAKE research consortium organises a workshop “Democracy in Reverse: Patterns of Autocratization in Eastern Europe and Eurasia” at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies of the University of Tartu, Estonia.

In what ways can we compare and better understand patterns of autocratization in the postcommunist world? Autocratization can be seen as a process, in which democratic institutions, rights and practices are curtailed or undermined – to the point, of course, where an autocratic regime takes hold. However, because this phenomenon is defined as a continuum, it may also involve only incremental steps away from democratic rule, therefore allowing us to view this phenomenon in greater detail.

Professor Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen is presenting a paper “The Conservative turn and nature – Climate denialism and ’hydrocarbon culture’ in Russia” at the “Eurasia” panel of the workshop.

More information on the workshop is available online here.

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China and the “Wider” Eastern Europe conference

On 11th-12th of October the conference “China and the “Wider” Eastern Europe” at the Centre for East Asian Studies (CEAS) at the University of Turku. Before the conference a Doctoral workshop was organised on 10th of October, and our Doctoral Researcher Karoliina Hurri presented there her research plan “The Construction of China’s Role in Climate Negotiation Forums: A case of BASIC countries, BRICS group and the Arctic Council”.

Apart from Karoliina, Postdoctoral Researcher Sanna Kopra is taking part in the conference, and on Friday, 12th of October she is giving a talk “The Rise of China and Normative Transformation in the Arctic: A Research Plan” at the ““Wider” Eastern Europe and China” panel.

More information on the conference is available online here.