EMEA News
Arctic Cooperation Stalls on Russia/Ukraine War Impasse
The Arctic Council's work is under threat as the invasion of Ukraine has put a stop to cooperation between Russia and western members (including the US) critical of the war.
The council's remit in this ecologically sensitive area covers a range of issues from combatting climate change to members working together to contain oil spills from shipping.
According to Reuters, a third of the council's 130 projects are on hold while new projects cannot go ahead and existing ones cannot be renewed. Western and Russian scientists no longer share climate change findings and cooperation for possible search-and-rescue missions or oil spills has stopped, the report said.
The eight-nation council will see Norway take over the chair from Moscow this week.
The Arctic is warming about four times as fast as the rest of the world. As sea ice vanishes, polar waters are opening to shipping and other industries eager to exploit the region's bounty of natural resources, including oil, gas, and metals such as gold, iron and rare earths.
