Is It Time for a Reset in Arctic Governance?

• Published in: Sustainability
• Main Author: Oran R. Young
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019
• Subjects: climate change; geopolitics; governance; regime complex; Environmental effects of industries and plants; TD194-195; Renewable energy sources; TJ807-830; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Arctic; Arctic Council; Climate change
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164497; https://doaj.org/article/e0753ec7ca1543eab402f7e079d58400

Conditions in the Arctic today differ from those prevailing during the 1990s in ways that have far-reaching implications for the architecture of Arctic governance. What was once a peripheral region regarded as a zone of peace has turned into ground zero for climate change on a global scale and a scene of geopolitical maneuvering in which Russia is flexing its muscles as a resurgent great power, China is launching economic initiatives, and the United States is reacting defensively as an embattled but still potent hegemon. This article explores the consequences of these developments for Arctic governance and specifically for the role of the Arctic Council. The article canvasses options for adjusting the council’s membership and its substantive remit. It pays particular attention to opportunities for the council to play a role in managing the increasingly complex Arctic regime complex.