Science diplomacy in the Arctic : contributions of the USGS to policy discourse and impact on governance

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Authors: Wood-Donnelly, Corine, Bartels, Marianne Pascale
• Other Authors: University of St Andrews.School of Geography & Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews.Centre for Energy Ethics, University of St Andrews.Geographies of Sustainability, Society, Inequalities and Possibilities
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Arctic governance; Arctic policy; Climate change; Energy; Science diplomacy; G Geography (General); GE Environmental Sciences; Geography; Planning and Development; Ecology; General Earth and Planetary Sciences; NDAS; SDG 13 - Climate Action; NIS; MCC; G1; GE; Arctic; Cara; Polar Record
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10023/26347; https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247422000134

Science diplomacy has been instrumental in facilitating cooperation in the Arctic region, yet through the projection of vast hydrocarbon potential in the region, it has also served to undermine the major transformation necessary in Arctic decision-making towards the goals of climate governance. This article surveys the translation of science from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports (i.e. the CARA study and Factsheet 2008-3049) on Arctic oil and gas and its transformation into common knowledge within Arctic discourse through repetition by the agents in between and its subsequent adoption into Arctic policy documents. In this process, we interrogate the production of the science underpinning US science diplomacy and the influence of this science on international Arctic discourse and policy use science diplomacy. This paper contributes to the literature of science diplomacy in the Arctic by examining the contributions of the USGS to Arctic policy discourses and its impact on Arctic governance at the nexus of science diplomacy on climate and energy. Peer reviewed