The Paris Agreement transforms Arctic tourism: lessons from Northern Finland

Ilisimatusarfik invites to a public lecture with Juho Kähkönen from University of Lapland - titled "The Paris Agreement transforms Arctic tourism: lessons from Northern Finland".

In the EU, legally binding European climate law is a key driver of the tourism sector's transition to a low-carbon economy.

Particularly, the future of aviation connects Kalaallit Nunaat and Northern Finland, where tourism is dependent on international aviation.

In this lecture, the Paris Agreement and EU climate legislation will be reviewed, followed by lessons learned from tourism in Northern Finland.

At the end of the lecture, there will be time for an open debate about the situation in Kalaallit Nunaat, Northern Finland, and other Arctic areas, where tourism is a significant industry.

I hope we all can learn something new during the lecture.

As the Arctic is warming faster than any other part of the world, the tourism industry in the region is on the frontline facing multiple direct and indirect climate risks.

Besides increasingly unpredictable weather, melting ice and shortening winters, the implementation of the Paris Agreement (2015) is transforming the business environment of Arctic tourism.

In this presentation, through the case study of northern Finland, the role of tightening EU regulations and national implementation of climate change mitigation is analysed.

Following the Paris Agreement, the EU set a goal to be climate-neutral by 2050.

Finland's government set the goal of achieving carbon neutrality as the first industrialised society in the world by 2035.

Both global warming and the changing business environment are increasing the tourism industry's vulnerability.

Arctic tourism requires considerable climate resilience to thrive despite multiple stress factors.

The fast bounce back from the Covid-19 crisis reveals that Arctic tourism has a solid capacity to adapt.

Meanwhile, limited impactful actions to transform the industry towards a low-carbon future indicate significant problems for the future.

The tourism business in Finland will have to face the inevitable need to adapt to a rapidly changing climate, a carbon-neutral society and tighten EU regulations simultaneously.

Globally, tourism is a significant contributor to climate change, accounting for over 8 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions.

From the perspective of international policies, the contribution of the fast-growing tourism industry is critical to global climate sensitivity.

A successful green transition will be a prerequisite for the credibility of the tourism sector.

Everyone is invited - and coffee, tea and cake will be served.

Juho Kähkönen is a researcher at the Faculty of Law, the University of Lapland, Finland. He lives in Rovaniemi and was born and raised in Inari, 300 kilometres North of the Arctic Circle. His research interests include Arctic governance, climate law, the European Union, Just Transition, and climate resilience. He believes in Arctic collaboration and is visiting Kalaallit Nunaat to learn more about Greenlandic society. Kähkönen wishes to foster long-lasting cooperation between Arctic peoples.

Currently, Kähkönen participates in the Fulbright Arctic Initiative IV program, which researches urgent policy questions related to Arctic governance. Kähkönen serves on the board of directors of the Finnish International Studies Association (FISA). Previously, he has been a member of the boards of various organisations, including the University of the Arctic (UArctic), the Finnish Arctic Society, and the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland.