Arctic Frontiers will host a series of panel discussions about safe and sustainable coasts in the Arctic in a two-city series of Abroad events. The first part of the panel discussions takes place in Vancouver, Canada, on the 19th and 20th of October in collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy in Canada, followed by a second set of panel discussions in Seattle, USA, on October 23rd and 24th. The focus of these panels will be connected to the One Ocean Expedition of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl tallship, which is in port in Vancouver from the 17th to 21st of October and Seattle from the 22nd.

The train to Seattle runs regularly from Vancouver and takes around 4 hours. There are relatively good connections between Seattle and mainland Europe for a return to Norway.

Vancouver Event

Changing geopolitical contexts and climate change are driving increased interest in the Arctic. Temperature increases take place at a much more rapid pace than the world average, causing, among other things, a loss of sea ice coverage. Subsequently, there is an increased interest in opening shipping routes across the Northwest Passage. However, less ice coverage does not necessarily equate to a safer route, as ice coverage forecasts are projected to become harder to predict.

Subsequently, the overarching themes for our panel discussions will be about safe and sustainable coasts in the Arctic. This overarching theme will include subthemes such as sea-ice forecasting, earth observations, green fuels, search and rescue and the overlap between security and climate change. A number of panel discussions will bring together research, business, policy and local perspectives, for holistic discussions on the challenges and advantages of operating in the Arctic maritime sector.

Learn more.