Forskningscentret for arktisk olie & gas

Om

Om Forskningscentret for Arktisk Olie & Gas

Forskningscentret for Arktisk Olie & Gas åbnede d. 16. marts 2016.

Lederne af centret er professor Anne Merrild Hansen og professor Rachael Lorna Johnstone. Centret er tilknyttet Institut for Samfund, Økonomi og Journalistik ved Ilisimatusarfik.

Centret har til hensigt at udføre forskning med fokus på de økonomiske og sociale konsekvenser af olie og gas aktiviteter i Arktis, med særlig opmærksomhed på Grønland; at etablere et Grønlands-baseret netværk af eksperter indenfor området; og at formidle relevant og praktisk viden og indsigt der kan assistere lokalsamfund, NGOer og beslutningstagere når de planlægger, udvælger, designer  og udvikler projekter. Centret vil formidle forsknings resultater bredt gennembåde traditionelle peer reviewed publikationer og via en hjemmeside med informationer i populært videnskabeligt format, på Engelsk, Grønlandsk og Dansk om Centrets aktiviteter og primære resultater.

Funding

Centerledernes løn er indledningsvist finansieret via en tre årig bevilling fra Råstofstyrelsen. Bevillingen administreres af Ilisimatusarfik. Selskaber som har enerets licenser til efterforskning og udnyttelse af olie og gas i Grønland er forpligtet til at bidrage til kapacitetsopbygning indenfor olie og gas i Grønland og det er via midler til disse forpligtelser at bevillingen er finansieret. 

Centrets ledere og forskere vil arbejde fuldstændigt uafhængigt af råstofstyrelsen og olieselskaberne. Råstofstyrelsen og olieselskaberne kan ikke direkte udøve indflydelse på forskningsdagsordnen og skal ikke godkende forskningsresultater eller lignende. Centrets forskere vil kontinuerligt søge supplerende ekstern funding fra diverse institutioner til at facilitere udvikling og drift af centrets aktiviteter.

Centrets organisering

Centerlederne i det Arktiske olie og gas forskningscenter vil styre forskningsagendaen, lede og koordinere centrets aktiviteter, fundraise for at støtte og etablere nye projekter, og udvikle centrets strategi i dialog medcentrets medlemmer. De vil række ud til ikke videnskabelige aktører og søgederes input i forbindelse med forskningsaktiviteter. Disse aktører inkluderer repræsentanter fra industrien, lokalsamfund, NGO’er, og andre fra den politiske verden. Centerlederne vil også vejlede PhD’er, Materstuderende og undervise på de eksisterende uddannelse ligesom de vil bidrage til udviklingen af Ilisimatusarfiks curriculum.

Medlemmer af centret iøvrigt, rekrutteres fra Ilisimatusarfik og tæt associerede institutioner i Grønland. Medlemmerne af Centret kan både være phd studerende eller etablerede forskere. Medlemmerne mødes jævnligt med centerlederne og bidrager til til den strategiske planlægning af centret og identifikation af forskningsprioriteringer, samarbejder om forskningsprojekter og fonds ansøgninger, assisterer i organiseringen og deltager i centrets symposier og andre aktiviteter.

Associerede forskere og associerede institutioner tilknyttes det Arktiske Olie og Gas forskningscenter. Disse tætte samarbejdspartnere vælges på baggrund af deres bidrag til relevant forskning i og omkring Arktis. De vil deltage og bidrage aktivt til centrets aktiviteter eksempelvis via samarbejde om specifikke forskningsprojekter, projektansøgninger,  symposier, konferencer eller medforfatterskab på publikationer og samarbejde omkring bogudgivelser. De kan også være involveret i vejledning af PhD’er eller levere undervisning. Associerede institutioner kan bidrage med tilskud eller finansiering af forskningsprojekter eller aktiviteter der støtter centret.

Et internationalt netværk af eksperter indenfor Arktisk Olie og Gas vil blive initieret og drevet af centret. Det vil omfatte interesserede forskere, der arbejder med økonomi og sociale konsekvenser afolie og gas aktiviteter i Arktis. Netværket vil inkludere forskere på alle niveauer fra phd’er til etablerede forskere på top niveau indenfor forskningsområder indenfor eksempelvis forskningsområder som økonomi, statskundskab og politologi, antropologi, jura, internationale relationer og geografi. 

Formål, prioriteter & aktiviteter

En inkluderende forskningsagenda

Centret vil samle repræsentanter fra lokalsamfund, myndigheder, olie og gas selskaber, interesseorganisationer og akademikere for at udveksle viden og lære af hinanden, identificere interessefællesskaber og samarbejder samt for at diskutere forudsætningerne for at udvikle en fælles vision om at inkludere lokale perspektiver i beslutninger om og planlægning af nye industriprojekter og fordeling af goder.

Beslutninger om centrets centrale forskningsområder vil blive defineret i forlængelse af møder med aktører i Grønland og forskningsspørgsmål vil blive formuleret i fælles dialog for at sikre atforskningen vedrører de emner der er af størst betydning for befolkningen, beslutningstagere og praktikere. Centerlederne og forskere i centret vil rejse rundt i Grønland for at mødes med forskellige samfund. De vil mødes med inviterede aktører og holde oplæg i åbne fora for at sikre at alle berørte personer får mulighed for at udtrykke deres syn på udviklingen og forskningen. Symposier vil være åbne for interesserede aktører; briefing notes og arbejdspapirer vil blive publiceret til frit download og de vigtigste resultater vil blive publiceret på Grønlandsk, dansk og engelsk.

Vejledning, undervisning og udvikling af uddannelser på Ilisimatusarfik

Forskningscentret til bidrage til den videnskabelige udvikling af den næste generation a Grønlandske tænkere og ledere. Centerlederne vil personligt vejlede PhD’er og studerende på kandidatniveau samt undervise i fag såsom sociologi, international jura og olie og gas forvaltning. Centerlederne vil også være involveret i udvikling af nye uddannelsestilbud ved Ilisimatusarfik.

Produkter

Centret vil forberede, udvikle og levere forskningsprojekter relateret til Arktisk Olie og gas. Centret vil organisere og være vært for symposier, hvor forskningsresultater præsenteres. Symposierne vil være åbne for alle interesserede borgere. Centrets forskere vil ogsådeltage i internationale konferencer for at sikre vidensformidling og for at promovere centret internationalt. Formidlingen af forskningen vil blive tilpasset til de forskellige målgruppers behov og omfatte akademiske publikationer, suppleret med såkaldte briefing notes, der er 1-2 siders opsummeringer af de vigtigste budskaber i populærvidenskabelig og let tilgængelig form. Briefing notes vil blive udgivet på både grønlandsk, dansk og engelsk. Desuden vil ventrets ledere give mundtlige præsentationer til borgere. Arbejdspapirer og briefing notes will blive publiceret til frit download for at facilitere den bedst mulige tilgængelighed.

Forskningscentret vil udarbejde en årsrapport, der opssumerer hvert års primære aktiviteter, resultater og formidling. I efteråret 2018 vil der desuden blive udgivet en omfattende rapport om de første tre år af centrets aktiviteter, som vil blive publiceret og præsenteret i Grønland og internationalt.

Nyheder

Maj 2019

Download the final report on activities 2016 - 2018 by the Arctic Oil & Gas Research Centre at Ilisimatusarfik.

Januar 2019

Anne and Rachael‘s comparative study of the impacts of mining developments in South Greenland has just been accepted for publication in The Extractive Industries in Society. The paper, entitled, “In the Shadow of the Mountain: Assessing early impacts on community development from two mining prospects in South Greenland,” is based on fieldwork undertaken in Qaqortoq, Narsaq, at a farm near Narsarsuaq and in Nuuk. Anne and Rachael found that the mining projects, even though they are still in the exploration phase, have already had great impact on local expectations for future development and on decision-making and planning in people’s daily lives and thereby the development of the communities. Further, although located relatively close together in the same region, there are significant differences between the towns and their relations to the neighbouring mining projects. There is both support and opposition towards the projects, which triggers division between individuals, between groups and between the towns. However, all agree on a need for more transparent processes and for timelines to inform people of when they can expect decisions to be made and activities to take place. 

The paper will be published later this year. 

Anne and Rachael wholeheartedly thank all the participants who contributed to this research through interviews.

Rachael has just published Arctic Governance in a Changing World with co-author Mary Durfee, professor emerita at Michigan Tech University. This new book explores the Arctic and its relationship with the wider world, through the lenses of international relations, international law and economics. It is available in hardback, paperback or for immediate download in electronic format. You can order it directly from the publishers or from other well-known online retailers. Ilisimatusarfik library should have a copy soon too which you can borrow free of charge.

December 2018

Rachael gave the keynote speech at a panel on Sustainability in Resource Development: The case of Greenland at the fourth international symposium of the Polar Cooperation and Research Centre, Kobe University, Japan in December 2018. At the conference, Rachael explained how the evolution of international law on colonial and indigenous peoples, in particular evolving rights to sovereignty over natural resources, shaped the changing relationship between Greenland and the rest of the realm. She explored competing interpretations of the Self Government Act and the extent and limits of the Greenland government’s competences regarding extractive industries. She explained the controversies regarding the security implications of mining and export of uranium from Greenland and the practical compromise reached between Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on this subject. University of Greenland masters student Tukumminnguaq Nykjaer Olsen also gave a paper at the conference.  

On the 11^th December, Rachael gave a paper at the Danish Institute of International Affairs as part of its seminar: Sovereignty: Iceland and Greenland in a historical perspective. Rachael discussed the legal history of Greenland to illustrate that sovereignty has always been “shared and layered” between the Kingdom of Denmark and the Greenlanders. Recordings of all the presentations and the discussion from the seminar are available at the above link. The seminar was also live-streamed to the auditorium of the University of Greenland. 

Rachael taught on the PhD Seminar on Natural resources and human rights: impacts, conflicts, benefits, stakeholders and governance held at Copenhagen Business School in December 2018. Sixteen students participated in the course, coming from Greenland, other European countries, Africa, Latin America, North America and Asia. They were approaching economic development and extractive industries from different perspectives, including law, political science, business studies, and geology. The teachers were from similarly diverse backgrounds. The teachers and students discussed pressing issues concerning social and environmental impacts, free prior and informed consent, corporate social responsibility, indigenous knowledge, labour standards, human rights, international investment standards, and public participation. The students presented their research projects in brief at the beginning of the seminar. Towards the end, they presented them once more, demonstrating how they would use their new knowledge as they developed their research. The course was organised by Professor Karin Buhmann under the U Arctic Thematic Network on Arctic Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility.

Oktober 2018

The UN Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes referred to the work of Anne and Rachael in his report of his mission to Denmark and Greenland that he submitted to the UN Human Right Council. The Special Rapporteur drew on their book chapter, “Improving Public Participation in Greenland Extractive Industries” in 5 Current Developments in Arctic Law 29-33 (2017) for his reflections on some of the challenges of ensuring access to information and meaningful participation. Anne and Rachael’s chapter is based on the proceedings of the seminar and workshop held by the Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre at Ilisimatusarfik in October 2017. Videos of all the seminar presentations are available on the Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre website. The Special Rapporteur also referred to research by fellow Ilisimatusarfik scholar Maria Ackrén.

The Special Rapporteur said:
“Authorities underscored their commitment to ensure prior and informed consent by those affected in mining projects and the evolution of the norms regulating the licensing seem to reflect this position. Yet challenges remain for ensuring wide access to information and meaningful participation. The Special Rapporteur was informed that the time allowed for pre-consultations was not realistic considering the special complexities of ensuring meaningful participation of communities living in remote locations. Difficulties also reportedly exist in the translation of documents often containing complex technical information to Greenlandic and in informing all concerned communities. Some recent assessments also revealed issues such as the lack of systematic evaluations of the former and present extractive projects and to the challenges in creating spaces for participation in an atmosphere where people feel comfortable to talk about issues that may be sensitive to them (as the acceptance of mining projects can often divide communities). Another assessment also indicated that public participation in the decision making process is still impaired by the lack of public access to the draft EIA report. A comparison between two different mining licensing processes revealed that capacity concerns affect especially projects of greater scale.“

The full report of the Special Rapporteur is available from the Human Rights Council website as document number: A/HRC/39/48/Add.2.

Anne and Rachael’s chapter is available, free to download, from 5 Current Developments in Arctic Law.

Rachael gave a presentation at the 11th Polar Law Symposium in Tromsø on the topic "Applying FPIC Where Indigeneity is Contested: the Case of Greenland." In her paper, she discussed the applicability of the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in Greenland in respect of extractive industries. FPIC was promised in respect of extractive industries for indigenous peoples in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007 (UNDRIP). Since then, both states and the UN human rights treaty bodies have increasingly referred to FPIC in the constructive dialogue, sometimes as a procedural obligation and at other times as a necessary outcome, before extractive industries can be considered lawful. As such, FPIC is an emerging principle of international law.

However, both the Danish and Greenland governments have taken the view that the 2009 Self-Government Act constitutes full implementation of UNDRIP, including the principle of FPIC, because decisions are taken by the Self-Government in Nuuk on most matters, including on natural resource development. Therefore, difficult questions arise as to whether the Greenlanders (or groups of them) enjoy rights as an indigenous people, against whom they would hold such rights and whether FPIC is one of those rights. In her presentation, Rachael tackled these questions before considering what, if it is accepted as a guiding principle, FPIC might look like in Greenland.

At the Symposium, Rachael also moderated the plenary discussion session "An Exchange of Views on the History and Future of Polar Law" with Professors Donald Rothwell and Erik J Molenaar.

September 2018

Rachael has just published a chapter with Hjalti Ómar Ágústsson entitled “Little Fish, Big Pond: Icelandic Interests and Influence in Arctic Governance” in an anthology of reflections on Iceland‘s place in international affairs, No-one is an Island: an Icelandic Perspective, edited by Giorgio Baruchello, Kristín Margrét Jóhannsdóttir, Jakob Þór Kristjánsson and Skafti Ingimarsson. 

Rachael and Hjalti’s chapter explores Iceland‘s relationships with other actors in the Arctic, both through and outside of the Arctic Council. They examine in particular relations with Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Professor Gestur Hovgaard, Institute of Social Science, Economics & Journalism, also has a chapter in the collection, co-written with Grétar Thór Eythórsson, on the West Nordic Region and the Arctic. These two chapters, both in content and authorship, epitomise the increasing links between Greenland and Iceland.

Juli 2018

Professor Anne Merrild besøger Nordvest Grønland i de kommende dage.

Anne fra Ilisimatusarfiks Forskningscenter for Arktisk Olie og Gas har fået mulighed for at rejse med Arktisk Kommando's skib Knud Rasmussen i Nordgrønland i de kommende 12 dage. Anne vil besøge bygder og byer i området og snakke med folk om holdninger til udvindingsindustrien og visioner for områdets udvikling i fremtiden. 

Anne vil blandt andet være i Qaanaaq fra 27. - 29. juli og i Ilulissat den 29.-30. juli.

Rachael og Anne fra Forskningscentret har tidligere besøgt Syd- og Østgrønland i 2017 og Maniitsoq i maj 2018.

Juni 2018

I slutningen af maj rejste Anne og Rachael til Maniitsoq for at fortsætte deres feltarbejde om sociale holdninger til råstofprojekter og anden udvikling i forskellige egne af Grønland. Det var oprindeligt målet at tilbringe to dage i byen med på grund af stormvejr opholdt de sig sammenlagt seks dage i byen. De blev taget varmt imod af det venlige samfund og brugte det meste af tiden på at mødes med beboerne og lære om udviklingen i området, herunder minedrift, vandkraft, turisme og fiskeri. Maniitsoq er hjemsted for Royal Greenlands banebrydende Nutaaq® torske indhandlingssystem, og projektlederen viste Anne og Rachael omkring anlægget.

Desværre blev de forhindret i at rejse videre som planlagt til Sisimiut og Ilulissat, men har til hensigt at afholde en anden tur senere i år.

Nedenfor er nogle billeder fra Maniitsoq. En ny briefing note følger snart.

All photos copyright Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre - please contact to request any republication

Maj 2018

Professorerne Anne Merrild og Rachael Johnstone besøger Maniitsoq, Sisimiut og Ilulissat i maj 2018

Rachael og Anne fra Ilisimatusarfiks Forskningscenter for Arktisk Olie og Gas rejser i denne måned til Maniitsoq, Sisimiut og Ilulissat for at diskutere holdninger til udvindingsindustrien og visioner for Grønlands fremtid. 

De vil mødes med borgere og repræsentanter for kommunen og erhvervslivet, herunder turisme, fiskeindustri og iværksætteri.

Rachael og Anne vil være i Maniitsoq fra 29. - 31. maj og i Sisimiut fra 31. maj til 2. juni og i Ilulissat fra 2. til 4. juni.

De har tidligere besøgt Syd- og Østgrønland i 2017 og vil følge op på denne tur med et besøg i Nordgrønland i august.

Hvis du gerne vil mødes med Rachael og Anne under deres besøg, bedes du kontakte dem på: Rachael: ralo@uni.gl og Anne: merrild@plan.aau.dk.

December 2017

Nordic workshop on Artic EIAs held in Santa Claus’ hometown

On December 11-12, 2017, Rovaniemi, the official hometown of Santa Claus in Finland, set the stage for a Nordic workshop for different actors working with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the Arctic. 

With lots of snow and Christmas decorations as background, about 60 participants met to discuss “Tomorrow’s Arctic EIA: Nordic possibilities and perspectives to Environmental Impact Assessments in the Arctic”. The representatives from Greenland (Kingdom of Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, USA, Portugal, and Germany shared good practices and cases from the Nordic countries. The aim of the workshop was to contribute with good practice recommendations for EIA and public participation in the Arctic, and create a network of Arctic EIA actors – whether it be authorities, project developers, consultants, indigenous and local communities, NGOs, academics and other stakeholders. During the workshop, they identified several key issues and themes to be emphasized in the recommendations, and in particular; 

• Participatory approaches, including different formats to improve public participation
• Meaningful engagement of indigenous peoples, from consultation to partnerships
• Cumulative impacts, integrating assessment of multiple projects and stressors

The workshop was sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers, and a full report is aimed for release by the end of January. It is part of a series of regional workshops: the first one held in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska on November 27-29, 2017; and the next one planned in Yellowknife, Canada on April 24-26, 2018. Input from all regional workshops and from an online questionnaire will be synthesized into “Good Practice Recommendations for Environmental Impact Assessment and Public Participation in the Arctic (Arctic EIA)”, a project under the auspices of the Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) of the Arctic Council. The Arctic EIA project is led by the Ministry of the Environment of Finland, and co-led by the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, and the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, as well as the Gwich’in Council International.

Parnuna Egede is part of the Editorial Group of the Arctic EIA project as a representative of the Inuit Circumpolar Council in her capacity as a PhD Fellow from Aalborg University and the University of Greenland, as she works on the utilization of indigenous knowledge in Arctic EIAs.

All photos copyright Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre - please contact to request any republication

November 2017

Five Proposals for Improved Practice on Public Participation related to Extractive Industries in Greenland

Anne and Rachael have just published Five Proposals for Improved Practice on Public Participation related to Extractive Industries in Greenland. Briefing Note #8 is based on a workshop held on October 18th 2017 with experts from international and Greenland-based experts on deliberative democracy and extractive industries. The briefing note is available in Greenlandic, Danish and English.

Briefing notes from the Public Participation in Arctic Extractives Industry Seminar 

Briefing notes have also been published based on the presentations from the public seminar held on October 17th. These are currently available in English and will be translated to Greenland and Danish over the next couple of weeks.

Oktober 2017

Public Participation in Arctic Extractive Industries, at Ilisimatusarfik, 17^th October 2017

On Tuesday 17th October 2017, the Arctic Oil & Gas Research Centre organised a one-day intensive seminar that explored the status of public participation in extractive industry decision-making in the Arctic, and looked for ways to improve the quality of the experience and the results for all stakeholders.

Three panels of experts examined in turn: resource development in Greenland; the international law regarding participation; and participation in practice.

The seminar brought together experts from Greenland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Scotland, England and Brazil. 

All photos copyright Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre - please contact to request any republication

Arctic Circle Assembly

Equitable Arctic Development of Natural Resources, Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre Breakout Session, Arctic Circle Assembly, 13^th October 2017.

All photos copyright Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre - please contact to request any republication

September 2017

Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre to hold panel at Arctic Circle, Reykjavík, October 13

The Centre will be hosting a breakout session at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Harpa Conference Centre, Reykjavík on October 13th at 2100-2200. The session examines governance of oil and gas activities in the Arctic with a view to promoting equitable hydrocarbon development under the control of Arctic inhabitants and to their benefit with particular emphasis on indigenous peoples. Professor Indra Øverland, from NUPI will present the results of a recent research project comparing and ranking corporate processes to ensure indigenous rights in Arctic extractive industries. Professors Anne Merrild Hansen and Rachael Johnstone, directors of the Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre follow with an analysis of the experiences and views of Greenlanders from South and East Greenland, examining whether there are significant differences in priorities between those who live close to mining projects and those who live hundreds of kilometres away. Eduardo Pereira, from Externado University, Colombia, completes the panel with an examination of the position of non-operators in Arctic oil and gas joint ventures, seeking to improve the balance between rights, responsibilities and benefits which will in turn improve the attractiveness of investment.  The panel is chaired by Anita Parlow, of the Wilson Centre, in Washington DC. 

Please click here for speaker biographies and paper abstracts. 

Wine and soft drinks will be served to participants. 

The full conference programme for the 5th Arctic Circle Assembly is available here.

Parnuna Egede gør rede for Grønlands holdning til den nye Minimata-konvention om kviksølv

Parnuna Egede, ph.d.-studerende ved Ilisimatusarfik og medlem af Forskningscenter for Arktis Olie og Gas, har overfor nyhedsmediet High North News forklaret baggrunden for Grønlands kontroversielle beslutning om ikke at tiltræde Minimata-konventionen om kviksølv. Konventionen trådte i kraft i august 2016.

Kviksølv er et stof, der nedbrydes langsomt og bevæger sig på tværs af grænser og bioakkumulerer i Arktis. Det betyder, at dets brug og bortskaffelse andetsteds i verden har alvorlige sundhedsvirkninger for nordlige mennesker, især Inuit, da det bliver stadig mere koncentreret i fødekæden. Sundhedsmæssige konsekvenser omfatter læringsproblemer og adfærdsmæssige vanskeligheder.

Inuit Circumpolar Council var med til at påpege den alarmerende sitation og skubbe på for at få  Minamata-konventionen sat i kraft. En konvention, der sigter mod at udfase kviksølvminedrift og brugen af ​​kviksølv i guldminedrift og -fremstilling.

På trods af virkningerne af kviksølv på Inuit mener Egede imidlertid, at den grønlandske regering har besluttet at prioritere politisk fokus på sociale spørgsmål på nuværende tidspunkt.

Den fulde artikel kan læses på High North News hjemmeside.

August 2017

Anne and Rachael in Nuuk and Tasiilaq, East Greenland

Anne and Rachael were in Nuuk from 14th – 19th August where they participated in the EIT Raw Materials 3rd ArcHub meeting on 16th and 17th August. Anne delivered a paper examining conflicts around uranium mining, with case studies from Narsaq and Saskatoon.  

Anne and Rachael then travelled to Tasiilaq to talk to representatives of the local community. Continuing the themes of their trip to South Greenland in May, Anne and Rachael met people working in tourism, education, waste management and healthcare sectors as well as local politicians and others to hear different perspectives on economic development and extractive industries.

A briefing note from the trip will be published soon.

All photos copyright Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre - please contact to request any republication

Maj 2017

Rachael interviewed for Nuuk TV news on the rights of indigenous peoples and the UN system

Ilisamatusarfik graduate Nina-Vivi Andersen interviewed Rachael for Nuuk TV news. Nina-Vivi asked for Rachael‘s expert opinion on the communication by the former Minister of Industry, Labour, Trade, Energy and Foreign Affairs to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UN Special Rapportuer on the Issue of Human Rights Obligations relating to the Enjoyment of a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment and the Special Rapporteur on the Implications for Human Rights of Environmentally Sound Management and Disposal of Hazardous Substances and Wastes. The communication was later withdrawn by the minister‘s successor. The communication pertains to the responsibility to clean up toxic pollution from American military sites in Northern Greenland. 

Rachael told Nuuk TV news that although when Americans were granted permission to construct and operate their bases, there was no consultation with the Greenlandic people, this was not wrongful at the time because in the 1950s and 1960s, there was no duty to consult or to obtain free, prior and informed consent from colonial or indigenous peoples. However, since the lands concerned are still contaminated, there is an ongoing wrongful act and hence a responsibility to restore the lands so that they can returned in safe, clean and usable condition to the indigenous inhabitants. 

Rachael also explained the anyone can make a communication to the Special Rapporteur and there is no requirement for the author to be personally affected or even resident in the region. The UN will keep these confidential to protect those complaining against their governments from repercussions and will contact the government concerned, without necessarily disclosing who made the allegations. However, in this case, the Minister sent the communication in the name of the government and not as a private citizen, which has created political tensions. 

The interview was broadcast on 19 May 2017 and can be viewed here. 

Maj 2017

Anne og Rachael besøger Sydgrønland i maj 2017

Anne og Rachael rejser i denne måned til Qaqortoq og Narsaq for at diskutere holdninger til udvindingsindustrien og visioner for Grønlands fremtid. 

De vil mødes med borgere og repræsentanter for kommunen og erhvervslivet, herunder fårehold, minedrift, turisme og Narsaq bryggeri.

Anne og Rachael vil være i Qaqortoq fra 19. - 22. maj og i Narsaq fra 22. til 25. maj. De vil følge op på denne tur med et besøg på Tasiilaq, Østgrønland, fra den 19. til den 23. august.

Hvis du gerne vil mødes med Anne og Rachael under deres besøg, bedes du kontakte dem på: Anne: merrild@plan.aau.dk og Rachael: ralo@uni.gl.

Maj 2017 - fortsat

We welcome visiting researcher, Sarah Mackie

Doctoral student, Sarah Mackie, will be visiting the Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre in the late Summer/early Fall of 2017. Sarah is a PhD candidate at Newcastle Law School in the United Kingdom. 

Sarah is writing a thesis on the subject of comparative environment law in the Arctic, considering the role of the courts in environmental protection in the Arctic regions of Europe and North America. During her visit to Greenland, Sarah will be concentrating on the environmental protection in Greenland and researching Greenlandic court cases which have considered the environment, in particluar cases relating to oil and gas permitting.  During her PhD, Sarah has held visiting researcher posts at the University of Lapland and Harvard Law School.

Sarah holds a law degree from St John’s College, Cambridge University and an LL.M in Environmental Law from Newcastle University.  Prior to beginning her PhD, Sarah worked as an extern for Trustees for Alaska, an environmental public interest law firm based in Anchorage, Alaska and was Judicial Assistant to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.  Sarah is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales and teaches Public Law and Contract Law at Newcastle Law School.

Rachael and Anne look forward to working with Sarah and sharing research on means to promote and ensure socially responsible, sustainable and equitable development in the Arctic.

Sarah is keen to meet with representatives from the Greenlandic legal community and with anyone who has experience of environmental law in the Greenlandic courts.

Sarah can be contacted by email at: s.e.mackie@newcastle.ac.uk.

Marts 2017

Download vores "Annual Report 2016" (på engelsk).

Februar 2017

Rachael Discusses Indigenous Rights at Tufts University

Rachael joined the Fletcher Arctic VI Conference at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston on 17th and 18th of February. She took part in a panel on Legal Implications in the Arcticalongside distinguished scholars Timo Koivurova, Suzanne Lalonde and Oran Young. Rachael‘s paper examined how the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) may clash with indigenous rights to hunt the polar bear and the narwhal in the Arctic. 

Download Rachael's presentation here.

Januar 2017

Rachael gives expert evidence to the High North Inquiry of the UK Parliament’s Scottish Affairs Committee

On 25^th January 2017, Rachael gave expert evidence to the UK House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee on 25th January 2017. The Committee is conducting an inquiry into Scotland‘s relations with the High North, examining the potential contributions Scotland can make in light of the rapid changes facing the region.

Rachael submitted written evidence in the Fall and was invited to the first oral evidence session of the inquiry where she answered questions put by Members of the House of Commons with a view to helping the Committee prioritise topics for further investigation.

A transcript of the session as well as Rachael’s written evidence to the Committee is available from the inquiry website.  Rachael is the first scholar to have written about contemporary links between Scotland and the Arctic States in an article published in the Arctic Yearbook in 2012. 

Oktober 2016

On 7th October 2016, The Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre held a Breakout Session at the 4th Arctic Circle Assembly to discuss the Social Impacts of Oil And Gas Activities In The Arctic – Challenges And Benefits.

Unfortunately, Anne Merrild, who had organised the session and planned to speak on Social Impact Assessment in Oil and Gas Development: Community Experiences from Greenland and Alaska, was stuck in Greenland owing to bad weather.

Rachael hosted the session, introduced the Centre, and introduced the four excellent speakers who presented as follows:

• Anita L. Parlow, Fulbright-MFA Arctic Scholar at the University of Akureyri and National Energy Authority: Toward an Arctic Standard in the New North: Projected Considerations by Iceland and Norway in the Jan Mayen Offshore
• Brigt Dale, Senior Researcher, Nordland Research Institute, Norway: The Post-Petroleum Perspective: Is There Security to be Found Beyond the Oil Ontology?
• Natalya Novikova, Researcher, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences: Anthropological expert review in Russia: Goals of researchers and expectations of indigenous peoples
• Emma Wilson, Associate, Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge University: Ethics and practice: implementing international social performance standards in Arctic extractive industry contexts

Around fifty people attended the session and a lively discussion followed each paper. 

On 8th October 2016, Rachael delivered two additional papers:

• Free, Prior and Informed Consent in Large-Scale Development Projects in the Arctic for the Global Arctic panel on The Resource Dynamics of the Urbanized Arctic
• Hazardous Activities, Small States and the Risk of Reparation for the joint Univeristy of Iceland and Univeristy of Akureyri panel on Arctic Ocean Oil and Gas Exploration and Legal Liability 

Maj 2016

Rachael presented the Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre at the Arctic Circle Forum meeting in Nuuk on Wednesday 18th May. She used the opportunty to explain the objectives of the Centre and to encourage interested parties to come forward with comments and proposals for the research agenda.

Logo

Forskningscentret for Arktisk Olie og Gas har fået sit eget flotte logo - designet af en dygtig grønlandsk grafiker, Ivalu Risager.

Logoet er inspireret af Ilisimatusarfiks logo med konebåden. Stregen under bådene går igen i Gas&Olie-logoet. Derfra kom også inspirationen til at bruge silhoutter af gamle inuit-dukker sammen med isfjeldet.

Dukkerne symboliserer både det syn på naturen som stammer fra den oprindelige inuit-kultur, samt at det menneskerne der er i centrum.

Olien findes havet og isfjeldene, så spejlingen af isfjeld og inuit-dukker i havet drypper som olie.

Den blå (cyan) farve antyder sammen med isfjeldet, at vi er befinder os i arktis. 

April 2016

Anne Merrild Hansen er for tiden i Fairbanks, Alaska - hvor hun i de kommende seks uger er gæsteforsker ved University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). Formålet med turen er at lave feltarbejde og arbejde med eksperter fra UAF for at lære om de Alaskanske erfaringer fra olie og gas aktiviteter - og om konsekvenserne for de små kystsamfund på Alaskas nordkyst, hvor olieudvinding har fundet sted siden 1976. Anne vil under opholdet besøge byerne Barrow og Deadhorse samt bygden Kaktovik.

Rejsen og opholdet er finansieret af et stipendium fra det amerikanske Fulbright Arctic Initiative, som har til formål at promovere ny forskning og vidensdeling i Arktis. Anne vil udarbejde en briefing note om resultaterne fra turen når hun returnerer til Nuuk i August.

International LLM Opportunity for Established Oil and Gas Professionals

The North Sea Energy Law Programme is an advanced programme for practitioners from both public and private sector covering all aspects of energy law, offered by the Universities of Gronigen, Oslo, Aberdeen and Copenhagen.

Drawing on the expertise of the leading academics in centres of excellence located in the region that has seen perhaps the highest degree of innovation in energy law, it offers participants both the fundamental knowledge and the conceptual tools to deal with whatever challenges this exciting area of practice raises.

This unique programme is structured to accommodate busy professionals through concentrated periods of teaching. Each of the four courses is taught in a different centre in an intensive two-week block. The language of instruction is English.

The two-year programme starts every September and will last until June two years later. For more information, see the NSELP home page. 

Marts 2016

Anne and Rachael met selected stakeholders to refine the research priorities of the Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre, identify the most important areas for research, discuss opportunities for cooperation, and plan teaching at Ilisimatusarfik. Anne and Rachael met representatives from Ilisimatusarfik, the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources, the Mineral Licence and Safety Authority, Nunaoil, and WWF.

The Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre was formally launched at Ilisimatusarfik, Greenland on 16th March 2016. Tine Pars, Rector of Ilisimatusarfik introduced the Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre and the two directors, Anne and Rachael. Anne explained the objectives, priorities and planned activities of the centre. The directors then each delivered a presentation in which Rachael discussed the importance of the legal framework in managing hydrocarbon activities and Anne explained the essential criteria for an effective environmental and social impact assessment process. Over fifty people attended the launch and participated in a lively discussion where they talked about their hopes and expectations for the Centre. Participants came from Ilisimatusarfik; the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources; Niuernermik Ilinniarfik (the Business College); the Ministry of Industry, Labour and Trade; the Mineral Licence and Safety Authority; the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS); the Greenland Business Association; Greenland Business; S.I.K. (the Labour Association of Greeland); Nunaoil; WWF; and Transparency International Greenland.

Fotos

All photos copyright Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre - please contact to request any republication

Feltarbejde i Ittoqqortoormiit, oktober 2019

Anna-Sofie Hurup Skjervedals ph.d.-forsvar, 29. august 2018

Feltarbejde i Nordgrønland, juli 2018

Feltarbejde i Maniitsoq, juni 2018

Public Participation in Arctic Extractive Industries, at Ilisimatusarfik, 17^th October 2017

Arctic Circle Assembly

Equitable Arctic Development of Natural Resources, Arctic Oil and Gas Research Centre Breakout Session, Arctic Circle Assembly, 13^th October 2017. 

Nuuk & Tasiilaq, East Greenland

Anne and Rachael were in Nuuk and Tasiilaq, East Greenland, August 2017.

Sydgrønland feltarbejde 2017

For more information about the research trip to South Greenland, see the Briefing Note