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Voiko ilmastonmuutoksen torjuminen olla turvallisuusuhka?

Puheenaihe.fi asked our researcher Sakari Höysniemi, Emma Hakala from Finnish Institute of International affairs and Tero T. Toivanen from VTT if the means of combating climate change increase the instability of societies and cause conflicts. In the piece “Voiko ilmastonmuutoksen torjuminen olla turvallisuusuhka?” (Can combating climate change be a security threat?), Sakari Höysniemi addressed the energy side of the issue and was arguing, that energy security is more than energy supply.

Although Finland is partly an island in terms of security of supply, it could be a promoter of a more sustainable and safer society and take sustainable practices, ways of thinking and technologies elsewhere. If we were able to create a model where the foundation of our well-being and security is not in securing the supply of fossil energy, this model would surely be in demand outside our borders.

Read full version of Sakari Höysniemi’s and other researchers’ texts at puheenaihe.fi.

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Finnish Peace Research Association’s spring seminar ”Ilmasto – Politiikka – Rauha?” (“Climate-Politics-Peace?”)

Finnish Peace Research Association’s spring seminar ”Ilmasto – Politiikka – Rauha?” (“Climate-Politics-Peace?”) is taking place today at the University of Turku from 18 till 19.30. Sanna Kopra will moderate the event.
The seminar will discuss what should be done with peace research within the climate debate and how climate change is reflected in security policy. Senior researcher Emma Hakala (Finnish Institute of International Affairs) and Postdoctoral researcher Miina Kaarkoski (University of Jyväskylä) will start the discussion. In her speech, Hakala will discuss how climate change affects security, and particularly conflicts. She will also consider if environmental issues can sometimes act as a stimulus for peace building. Kaarkoski, in turn, will examine how climate change has influenced the perceptions of Finland’s security environment and national defense. Is the security dimension of climate change strengthening in Finland?

More information on the seminar can be read in Finnish here.

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The re­birth of news me­dia as a pub­lic in­sti­tu­tion in Rus­sia

The latest issue of the Aleksanteri Insight is written by Dr. Dmitry Yagodin, who is also working as an editor of the issue series of expert opinions, published by the Aleksanteri Institute quarterly.  The publication is titled “The re­birth of news me­dia as a pub­lic in­sti­tu­tion in Rus­sia” and focuses on the role the news media play in Russia these days – whether it is “the institution of public accountability or a publicity tool”.

International conflicts trigger propaganda, but they also generate demand for change. Journalism history hints at the ways in which the rebirth of the Russian media may begin, writes Dmitry Yagodin.

Read the issue online on the Aleksanteri Institute’s website.

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The Geopolitics of Renewables in Kazakhstan and Russia

“The Geopolitics of Renewables in Kazakhstan and Russia” article written by Professor Natalie Koch and Professor Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen has been published in “Geopolitics” journal in March.

This article examines recent renewable energy initiatives in two hydrocarbon rich states of Eurasia: Kazakhstan and Russia. The global nature of challenges surrounding energy and natural resource use demand that sustainability and “energy transition” policies be understood as geopolitical issues, which are increasingly (re)defining political relations among and within states. Existing research and media coverage of international energy politics in Eurasia is overwhelmingly dominated by a focus on oil and gas extraction, especially in Kazakhstan and Russia, due to their central place in traditional hydrocarbon fuels markets. As elsewhere in the world, however, political and economic leaders in both countries have started to adopt the language of promoting environmental sustainability, the “green economy,” and renewable energy infrastructures. Taking a critical geopolitics lens to recent developments, this article considers who is involved in advancing renewable energy in contexts that have traditionally been dependent on traditional energy sources, and what this may portend for the shifting energy landscape of Eurasia.

The article can be accessed at Taylor&Francis Online website.

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Ilmastonmuutos muuttaa Euroopan suhdetta ydinvoimaan, ja se kelpaa venäläisjätti Rosatomille

Yle published an article “Ilmastonmuutos muuttaa Euroopan suhdetta ydinvoimaan, ja se kelpaa venäläisjätti Rosatomille” (“Climate change is changing Europe’s attitude towards nuclear power, and it is good for the Russian giant Rosatom”) on 3d of March. The article contents an interview with Rosatom’s First Deputy Director General for Corporate Development and International Business Kirill Komarov and Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen’s comments given to the Ulkopopolitiikka in 2015. Professor Tynkkynen

estimates that Rosatom’s trump card is its status as a state-owned company.

“Rosatom can even sell nuclear power at a loss. Economically, such an actor is, of course, in the best interests of its private-owned competitors”

The new article can be read at Yle website.

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Interview with the authors of the “China in the Arctic; and the Opportunities and Challenges for Chinese-Finnish Arctic Co-operation” report.

The authors of the report “China in the Arctic; and the Opportunities and Challenges for Chinese-Finnish Arctic Co-operation” discussed their work in an interview with Kathrin Stephen From “High North News”. Sanna Kopra, one of the authors, talked, among other things, about what she thinks of the China’s role as a climate leader:

After President Trump announced to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, the world has hoped for China to step up and fulfill the leadership vacuum in international climate politics left by the US. Although President Xi Jinping has responded positively to these expectations and China has strong domestic incentives to take the findings of the recent IPCC report very seriously, it has not demonstrated any kind of climate leadership role in the Arctic. In my view, taking a stronger leadership role in international efforts to tackle climate change would not be a big sacrifice for China. Conversely, such a leadership role would support China’s national interests and alleviate various China threat theories at the global level. When it comes to the Arctic, China’s stronger commitment to tackle climate change would probably improve the state’s image and generate trust amongst the Arctic states. This would, in turn, help China to legitimize its stronger engagement in Arctic regional affairs.

The full interview can be read at the “High North News” website.

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Book review on “Russia’s far North: the contested energy frontier, 1st edition”

Robert Orttung, Associate Research Professor from the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, USA, wrote a book review on the “Russia’s Far North – The Contested Energy Frontier”. The book is edited by professors Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen, Shinichiro Tabata, Daria Gritsenko and Masanori Goto and was published a year ago by Routledge. The book review was published in the Eurasian Geography and Economics journal. Professor Orttung comes to conclusion that “This book provides an excellent overview of the issues that shape Russia’s Arctic today. Given its approachable style and wealth of information, it is useful for both students learning about the area for the first time and experts who already have a base of knowledge”:

The multi-disciplinary, multi-national author collective represents some of the leading Russian scholars in Finland and Japan. These countries bracket Russia on the west
and east and both have long and complex histories with the land of the czars, soviets,
and the personalized, hybrid, and surprisingly dynamic but simultaneously stagnant
contemporary state.
This useful edited volume provides us with a variety of tools to understand where
Russia’s north is headed. The contributions range from straightforward economic
analysis to a discussion of the artist Ivan Bilibin’s folkloric book illustrations.

Read the full book review online here.

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Sanna Kopra and the quest to understand China’s climate politics and Arctic agenda

Finnish China Law Center blog posted an interview with Sanna Kopra by Tatjaana Heikkinen. In the interview Sanna tells about her previous research on China, her current project and future plans.

Global warming and climate change is a topic that we see and hear about on a regular basis. When discussing climate change, it is impossible not to mention China. Sanna Kopra is a post-doctoral researcher in the Arctic Centre located in the University of Laplandand a visiting scholar in the Aleksanteri Institute located in the University of Helsinki and she has conducted extensive research into China in relation to climate change.

When asked about her 2018 highlights, her response is immediate: publishing her first book and receiving a grant from the Academy of Finland. 2019 has also started memorably, as she is spending the first couple of months on a research exchange at the University of Tromsø in Norway. “I hope to learn a lot about Arctic politics and I look forward to meeting new people. I also wish to see amazing scenery – despite the polar night!”

Learn more about Sanna Kopra at the Finnish China Law Center blog.

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China’s great power climate responsibility and the Arctic

In a new text “China’s great power climate responsibility and the Arctic” for Arctic Relations blog, Sanna Kopra tells about her current research on the role China plays and wants to play in international climate politics, in relation to Arctic especially – the region where climate change progresses twice as fast as in other regions of the world:

In my ongoing project, I study how notions of great power (climate) responsibility direct China’s policies and practices in the Arctic region, among other topics.

​For China, climate change is no doubt an important driver for engaging in Arctic affairs.For example, the melting of Arctic ice caps will increase haze pollution in Eastern China, cause flooding in many of its coastal mega-cities including Shanghai, Tianjin, and Hong Kong; and alter numerous natural global processes that may interrupt Chinese agricultural production.

Published in 2018, China’s Arctic white paper stresses the importance of scientific research on Arctic climate change and its global ramifications. Specifically, China is interested in learning more about the domestic (security) implications of Arctic climate change. When it comes to great power climate responsibility, however, China’s Arctic white paper is silent: it does not introduce any additional climate mitigation commitments or propose ambitious initiatives to address the problem – actions that would demonstrate a leadership role in international climate politics.

Read more about Sanna Kopra’s work on Arctic Relations blog.

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Sohvi Kangasluoma for The Ulkopolitist

Sohvi Kangasluoma wrote an article for The Ulkopolitist online magazine with a title “Onko Suomesta feministisen arktisen ulkopolitiikan jäänsärkijäksi?” (Can Finland work as an icebreaker for a feminist Arctic policy?)

Sohvi Kangasluoma is a doctoral researcher at the Aleksanteri Institute of the University of Helsinki. In her doctoral dissertation she examines the Arctic oil and gas industry and its implications for human security through feminist theory. Her dissertation work is a part of AUCAM – “Opportunities for and challenges to urban development and social cohesion in Russia’s Arctic under climate change impacts” project.

In the article, Sohvi ponders whether Finland could pursue feminist Arctic policy, where  safeguarding the rights of minorities and respect  for environment are a precondition.The article can be read at The Ulkopolitist website.