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Research Vessel Belgica, one of Belgium’s research facilities for scientific cooperation in the Arctic. Photo: Freire Shipyard
The Arctic Institute Arctic Collaboration Series 2023
Since the escalation of Russia’s war against Ukraine in February 2022, Arctic scientific cooperation at the institutional level among the eight Arctic states has halted. However, the need for a global effort to understand, monitor, combat, and adapt to climate change remains. With the exclusion of Russia, the remaining seven Arctic states have called for collaboration in the region among the like-minded and willing. Although cooperation with Russia on a structural level is currently impossible, there is a need to look ahead. This creates opportunities for a non-Arctic state like Belgium, which has historically strong ties with the Arctic states, expertise in polar science and climate research, and a long tradition of multilateral cooperation.
Pausing the long-standing tradition of Arctic scientific cooperation
The Arctic is often described as a model region for international scientific cooperation. Over the last decades, many institutions and intergovernmental fora were established, along with knowledge networks and a community of Arctic experts from all around the world.
Yet, in the aftermath of Russia’s escalation of its conflict against Ukraine, most international scientific and political organizations in the West have suspended their cooperation with their Russian counterparts or paused their activities. In the Arctic Council, currently chaired by Russia, the seven western Arctic states paused their participation in official meetings and activities that involve Russia. The European Commission, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and many knowledge institutions and research funding organizations have taken a similar stance. Their announcements were often accompanied by a call to continue to cooperate with the like-minded and the willing. In June 2022, the Arctic 7 resumed cooperation in projects that do not involve the participation of the Russian Federation. On an individual level, scientist-to-scientist collaboration still takes place.
How current events influence scientific agendas
Although research and scientific cooperation in the Arctic encompass many disciplines and fields, climate change research is seen as a key priority, since the region has been warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the world. The effects of climate change are being felt around the world and are manifesting themselves in various ways such as sea level rise, changes in climate and precipitation patterns, increases in severe weather events, an alarming increase in forest fires and loss of biodiversity.
The suspension of Arctic scientific cooperation with Russia poses a challenge in this regard, since climate change does not simply put itself on hold because of geopolitical developments. Canceling ongoing and future research projects creates knowledge gaps and impedes efforts to mitigate climate change. However, the Arctic research community is not an apolitical bubble: science impacts politics and politics impact science. Research is often funded by governments that favor certain research agendas.
Russia’s attack on a sovereign country violated international law and brought war to Europe. These actions could not be ignored and required a response. Nonetheless, halting scientific cooperation with Russia impacts many research projects and is detrimental to long-term measurement programs that monitor the different facets of climate change. The Russian Arctic remains important in addressing global environmental problems such as thawing permafrost and preventing wildfires since Russia accounts for over half of the Arctic’s coastline. However, given Russia’s limited efforts to tackle climate change in the past and its failure to genuinely engage in climate cooperation and transparently implement climate policies, its role should not be overestimated.
Gaps in current knowledge cannot be filled without territorially based observations and contributions of scientists. This has prompted some researchers to focus more on other Arctic regions such as Canada and the US, to cooperate more closely with remote sensing communities to gather data, or to adapt their research methodologies. Other projects were abruptly halted or canceled before they could even start.
The human dimension of halted scientific cooperation
While Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has negative implications for the future of scientific cooperation in the Arctic, especially in fields related to climate change and its effects, the human cost in the wake of February 24 2022 should not be overlooked. First and foremost, its devastating impact on the Ukrainian population, who are being subjected to the atrocities of Russia’s unprovoked aggression.
Second, the fallout for the Arctic scientific community, where personal connections are severed and professional ties are cut, careers are derailed or ended before they had the chance to take off, jeopardizing not only the continuation of long-term research projects but also the development of the next generation of Arctic scientists.
Third, the nearly four million inhabitants of the Arctic who are experiencing the far-reaching consequences of climate change in the region on a daily basis. Approximately half a million residents of the Arctic are Indigenous Peoples, spanning three continents and seven countries. They have inhabited the region for thousands of years before the states in which they reside were founded and remain connected across borders. The inclusion of their traditional knowledge is fundamental to any form of scientific cooperation in the Arctic. Indigenous representation in knowledge and governing bodies is crucial in any possible future scenario for scientific cooperation in the region and should be strengthened.
Lastly, the world. As the well-known Arctic saying states: “What happens in the Arctic, doesn’t stay in the Arctic”. The warming of the Arctic has global consequences, including shifting seasons and climate-driven disturbances, such as wildfires, extreme weather, and unusual wildlife mortality events.
Returning to business as usual is not an option
While it remains to be seen when and how the war against Ukraine will end, a return to business as usual is out of the question when it comes to scientific cooperation among the eight Arctic states, as long as the conflict remains unresolved. As Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth, said: “Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine is an attack on freedom, democracy and self-determination, on which cultural expression, academic and scientific freedom, and scientific cooperation are based”. It is the author’s view that collaborations with research institutions that, whether they are forced to do so or not, offer their services to the Russian regime should not take place, while cooperation at the individual level can still be pursued.
Although one should not generalize that all Russians support the war against Ukraine, neither can one argue that this is merely Putin’s war. Therefore, it remains key to isolate Russia, while at the same developing a long-term strategy aimed at peace to engage with Russians who are like-minded and willing to cooperate. This includes measures to uphold academic freedom that is under severe pressure, to support Russia’s civil society that is stifled by the Foreign Agent Law, and to strengthen the political opposition that has been systematically weakened over the past decades.
Re-engaging with Russia in the future will be challenging, but interactions in the field of Arctic scientific cooperation may be a less controversial and constructive step forward.
The Belgians: like-minded, willing, and capable
Although it is hard to predict what the future will hold for Arctic scientific cooperation, any help from like-minded and willing partners to address the climate crisis can make a difference. While respecting the often-used Arctic mantra “nothing about us, without us” that Indigenous Peoples and Arctic states rightly cite regarding third-party activities in the region, these unseen times of crisis call for increased engagement and cooperation. Belgium, a non-Arctic state with extensive experience in multilateral cooperation and deep connections to the Arctic 7, can bring wide-ranging expertise in the field of climate research to the table.
Belgium has a strong legacy of supporting and encouraging scientific research and innovation, including Belgian scientific institutions and the private sector. Currently,12 research groups at eight Belgian universities are active in Arctic scientific research on topics including climate change, ice, and marine biology, to name a few. Belgium has developed a leadership position in polar data management, with a strong focus on biodiversity data. In 2022, Belgium was accepted as the 24th member of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) and launched the new marine research vessel Belgica one of the best-equipped high-tech research ships in Europe, which provides many opportunities for cooperation with international partners, including in the Arctic. The 2022 Polar Symposium, held in September in Brussels, showcased the research of over 100 Belgian polar scholars in a variety of disciplines, many of whom are at the top of their respective field and are taking up active roles in high-level scientific groups and organizations such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). Belgium also shares its expertise by being an active partner in the EU-funded project EU-Polar-Net 2.
Belgium might not be a traditional Arctic stakeholder, but it is committed to and invested in contributing to sustainable development, peaceful coexistence, and geopolitical stability and security in the region. It is doing so by advancing science cooperation that integrates the knowledge of scientists, technical experts, Indigenous Peoples and other communities in order to co-produce new knowledge and establish long-term partnerships.
Karen van Loon is a Junior Researcher at EGMONT – Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels, where she is developing Belgium’s first Arctic Strategy.
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