Best practices for mining and sustainable development in the Arctic

October 17th, 2016

Best practices for mining and sustainable development in the Arctic

What roles can government and industry play in ensuring adequate oversight and best practices for mining in the Arctic? This question was in focus at a workshop organized by the U.S. Department of State, the Kingdom of Sweden, Luleå University of Technology, and the City of Luleå and held on 13-14 October 2016 in Luleå, Sweden. It was the last in a series of workshops initiated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources, aimed at bringing together governments, the private sector, communities, civil society, and academia to highlight key challenges for achieving sustainable resource development in fragile environments such as in the Arctic. The workshops will inform a report that will be delivered to the Arctic Council in the spring of 2017.

REXSAC researcher Annika E Nilsson, Senior Research Fellow at Stockholm Environment Institute, made a presentation at the Luleå workshop about mining in the context of adaptation to climate change. She highlighted that the mining industry needs to consider not only local impacts of climate change, such as changes in precipitation patterns, but also how impacts of climate change in other parts of the world may affect the sector. Her key message was that social and environmental impact assessments must address how extractive industries contribute to adaptive capacity in its broadest sense and in the long term. This includes attention to human, social, institutional, and cultural resources, in addition to economic and environmental impacts.

Link to interview with Annika E Nilsson aired by the Swedish regional radio channel Radio Norrbotten Friday 14 October 2016

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