Impact assessment of offshore oil activities in the Arctic

• Main Authors: Larsen, Sanne Vammen, Hansen, Anne Merrild
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: International Association for Impact Assessment 2016
• Subjects: Arctic; Greenland; greenlandic; Alaska
• Online Access: https://vbn.aau.dk/da/publications/b48a4d10-2154-4c71-8895-e3a893b86a2a; http://conferences.iaia.org/2016/final-papers.php; http://conferences.iaia.org/2016/Final-Papers/Vammen,%20Sanne%20-%20%20IA%20Offshore%20Oil%20Activities%20in%20the%20Artic.pdf

The global demand for oil and gas has lead to a notable increase in interest for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic. This paper presents the results of a comparative study of the legislation for impact assessment in Greenland, Denmark, Norway, Alaska (USA) and Canada. The point of departure for the study has been to compare the legislation, in order to seek inspiration for possible improvements in the Greenlandic system. The study is focused on public participation, data and data collection, and assessment of significance and alternatives. This paper points at various similarities and differences that lead to discussing how the countries may be inspired by each other.