The 9th China – Nordic Arctic Cooperation (CNARC) Symposium will be held this year from Oct 13-15 in Akureyri Iceland. Submission of abstracts for oral presentations is now open.
Symposium Theme: The Arctic, as a Region of Opportunities and Challenges & the Importance of Sino-Nordic Cooperation.
Convened by: University of Akureyri, University of Iceland, Icelandic Centre for Research, Arctic Portal, and South China Business College
Location: University of Akureyri, Iceland
Information on the full agenda, registration, visa support and logistics will be made available on the www.cnarc.info website.
Proposals for oral presentations at the 9th China-Nordic Arctic Cooperation Symposium are cordially invited. Proposals are welcome from researchers affiliated with Nordic and Chinese universities, research institutes, think tanks and organizations. All presentations will focus on Arctic-related issues, within one of the session topics:
- Session I - International Cooperation and Arctic Governance, Current and Future Perspectives
- Session II - Arctic People/s, Rights, and Policies
- Session III - Creating, Developing, and Sharing Social and Environmental Knowledge in the Arctic
- Session IV - Sustainable Development in the Arctic, Arctic Resources and Green Transitions and Global Cooperation.
The 9th China-Nordic Arctic Cooperation Symposium is an international and multi-disciplinary event expected to draw researchers, industry representatives, policy-makers and community leaders to present, debate and discuss research findings and issues relating to growing Nordic-Asian Arctic cooperation.
Abstracts submission must be in English.
The symposium will take place on October 13-15
- Oct 13: Reception and informal discussions on Arctic cooperation at the Karhóll China-Iceland Arctic Scientific Observatory (CIAO) which is a 1-hour drive from Akureyri. Bus transfer is provided with departure from Akureyri at 15 pm.
- Oct 14: Full-day symposium at the University of Akureyri with a reception and dinner that evening
- Oct 15: Symposium finishes at 12pm
Conference cost: The conference fee is 35.000 ISKR with a discounted rate for students
Abstracts (max 250)
Deadline for Submission: August 15, 2024
Please submit abstracts electronically to the following email address:
Further information and questions can be directed to:
- Tom Barry, Dean of School, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Akureyri,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; - Sandy Shan, Executive Secretary, CNARC,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Background description for each session:
Session I – International Cooperation and Arctic Governance, Current and Future Perspectives
With the growing focus re-emergence of security concerns in the Arctic, including the growing impacts of climate change, the work of the Arctic Council and the Arcticstrategies of Nordic countries are being affected. The Arctic governance regime is undergoing its greatest impact since the 1990s in the wake of the pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian war. Maintaining the functionality of the Arctic governance conflicts with the geopolitical aims of some countries, and balance is becoming more difficult to maintain. This situation has not diminished the Arctic's qualities as region vulnerable to climate change, where the role of the Arctic as a climate change response region is becoming increasingly important after the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). How can the Nordic countries and China play help promote peaceful Arctic governance and international cooperation to the original track of peaceful competition? This session will explore Arctic international cooperation and governance issues including:
- What are the prospects for China-Nordic cooperation in the Arctic and are there any approaches that could strengthen mutual understanding and trust?
- Based on current and future perspectives, what measures could help Arctic peaceful governance and international cooperation?
- What are the challenges for the Arctic governance framework and future perspectives e.g.
- How can China-Nordic cooperation help promote better Arctic governance?
Session II – Arctic People/s, Rights, and Policies
The Arctic is home to circa 4 million people of which approximately 500,000 are Indigenous Peoples. Arctic Indigenous Peoples are key players in the region's environmental politics through their role as Permanent Participants in the Arctic Council; and the importance of Indigenous Knowledge in ensuring a better understanding of the impacts of climate change and preparing adaptation and mitigation responses. Therefore to ensure that the Arctic remains a sustainable and secure home for all its inhabitants, Indigenous Peoples and their rights and well-being must be respected and taken into account in in decision-making and governance in the Arctic. This session will address the following issues: The role of Indigenous Peoples in Arctic Governance;
Session III – Creating, Developing, and Sharing Social and Environmental Knowledge in the Arctic
The increasing changes happening in the Arctic’s cascade throughout the entire global climate system. In order to address current gaps and global connections, we need an approach that spans disciplines, scales and diverse knowledge systems in future research activities. Key to understanding the changes happening in the Arctic andtheir potential impact requires knowledge - both Indigenous, scientific and local. To enhance our understanding of the Arctic within and beyond the region this session will explore knowledge collection, analysis, and communication including the:
- importance of scientific assessments to improving knowledge and understanding of the Arctic to inform policy shaping and decision-making;
- co-production of knowledge, based on different knowledge systems, where science, Indigenous knowledge, and local knowledge are used to inform policy shaping and decision-making relevant to Arctic people and their communities; and the
- promotion of scientific and Arctic research cooperation and encouraging access to, and sharing of, Arctic data.
Session IV – Sustainable Development in the Arctic, Arctic Resources and GreenTransitions and Global Cooperation
Building on the outcomes of COP28 and understanding that healthy and Resilient Arctic Ecosystems are dependent upon a sustainable development approach to Arctic development. Doing so requires that biodiversity and ecosystem objectives and provisions are taken into account in ongoing and future international standards, agreements, plans, operations, and / or other tools specific to development in the Arctic. In a landmark moment for the global energy transition, parties to UNFCCC at COP28th agreed to transition away from fossil fuels, triple renewable power, and double energy efficiency by 2030. The Arctic is both a producer of energy and a beneficiary of energy transitions. As a relatively clean fossil energy source, Arctic liquefied natural gas (LNG) could act as a bridge towards the energy transition. The demand for Arctic energy from Asian economies, including China, Japan, South Korea, and India, and the rapid development of clean energy technologies in the future, as well as the achievement of peak carbon and carbon neutrality goals, will greatly influence the transformation of the Arctic energy mix. This session will explore sustainable development issues in the Arctic including:
- Mainstreaming of environmental concerns in Arctic resource development;
- The role of external actors in Arctic resource development and their connection to the Arctic;
- Promotion of green transition in Arctic resource and energy initiatives.
- What will be the situation of the new energy resilience of the Nordic countries; and
- What will be the contribution to the world's energy transition? What kind of changes could stricter Arctic environmental protection and prohibitions on energy fuels bring to the energy cooperation between Arctic and non-Arctic countries?
Please click here for more information, to register for the Symposium and travel support!
