Looking North: Northern England and the National Imagination (Studies in Popular Culture)

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The Finnish Parliament adopted a new Climate Change Act in May 2022, enshrining in law the goals for the country to be carbon neutral by 2035. The UK is one of only a small number of nations with a focus on the challenges affecting both Polar Regions. The Glasgow Climate Pact, combined with increased ambition across adaptation, finance and mitigation, means that 1. The UK has a clear vision for a prosperous Arctic, where economic and commercial development is achieved in a way that is safe, responsible and sustainable.

Adapting to Change’ set out the UK’s approach towards the Arctic, based upon three principles of respect, cooperation, and appropriate leadership. Climate change poses an existential threat to the Arctic as we know it, with the region experiencing warming at four times the global average. The impacts on Arctic ecosystems and biodiversity will be devastating unless action is taken to tackle global climate change. These principles endured through the UK’s updated policy framework that was published in 2018, ‘Beyond the Ice’.Sea levels are rising, the ocean is becoming more acidic and warmer, ocean oxygen levels are declining and much of the ocean is becoming less productive. We recognise the role of the Arctic Economic Council (established by the Arctic Council in 2014) as an independent organisation to facilitate business and responsible economic development through sharing of best practices, technological solutions and standards. It also outlined our commitment to working with our partners to ensure that increasing access to the region and its resources is managed safely, sustainably and responsibly.

However, it is important that commercial development does not damage the Arctic’s natural environment, or destabilise peaceful cooperation, which are fundamental to the prosperity of many Arctic communities. The UK will also look to strengthen multilateral relationships with Arctic States through collaboration as members of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy – a global initiative to drive the transition to a sustainable ocean economy that the UK announced it will join at the UN Ocean Conference 2022. Climate is affecting all strands of our activities in the Arctic, which underlines the importance of our strong science capabilities and international partnerships.We supported the development of the Marine Litter Regional Action Plan, which works to reduce the impact of marine litter, including micro-plastics in the Arctic seas. The UK seeks to work with our partners and Allies in the region to reinforce international rights to freedom of access and navigation in the Arctic. UK and Finnish higher education organisations actively cooperate under the University of the Arctic, including through the Thematic Network on Climate Justice in the Arctic and the Thematic Network on Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity in Education. The differing descriptions of the region provide a range of between four and ten million people defined as living in the Arctic. Action must be taken to tackle climate change, and minimise the devastating impacts on the Arctic and the rest of the world.

This latest policy framework brings together all the UK’s policies and strategies relevant to the Arctic under a single, integrated framework. Warmer seas are less able to absorb CO2, so more will stay in the atmosphere and further amplify the impacts of global warming. Threats to the Arctic marine environment are exacerbated by increasing accessibility to the region for resource exploitation, commercial activity, tourism, fishing and transport.

The UK supports increased protection of Arctic ecosystems, and conserving the Arctic’s biodiversity remains a UK priority. Due to the transboundary nature of plastic pollution, measures such as these will address this issue globally, including in the Arctic. The Arts Council Collection collects, commissions, conserves and loans ground-breaking art to galleries and museums all over the UK. Climate change poses an existential threat to the Arctic as we know it, and to the people that live there, and changes in the Arctic will have implications for the rest of the world.

We will look to strengthen our cooperation with our partners across Europe and the Indo-Pacific in the pursuit of our shared objectives in the Arctic.

While we expect other countries to deliver on these joint climate commitments, we also respect their right to determine the route they take to meeting these goals, including how they regulate the production and use of hydrocarbons. The UK will advocate for NATO to take a more proactive long-term approach to the High North, acknowledging the leadership and expertise of our Arctic Allies. As a result of absorbing excess heat and human CO2 emissions, negative impacts on the ocean and associated ecosystems are being seen. The UK Government is continuing to work to conclude negotiations on a new implementing Agreement under UNCLOS for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction ( BBNJ Agreement).