Friday, November 26, 2004

Re.: CANADA WELCOMES PROGRESS FOR THE NORTH ACHIEVED (Arctic countries concede threat to climate)


Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2004 11:25:53 -0600
From: Paul Nielson <p.nielson@shaw.ca>
Subject: [CPI-UA] CANADA WELCOMES PROGRESS FOR THE NORTH ACHIEVED (Arctic countries  concede threat to climate)

Who ya gonna believe?

Below you will find a pollyannish government news release followed by a media report on the same event, followed by my web search for the underlying substance.

Perhaps in a couple of days the missing substance will appear and the action will begin?


Government of Canada News Release

AT THE ARCTIC COUNCIL MEETING OF MINISTERS

------------------------------------------------------------
"CANADA WELCOMES PROGRESS FOR THE NORTH ACHIEVED
AT THE ARCTIC COUNCIL MEETING OF MINISTERS"

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND, November 24th, 2004 - The Honourable Stéphane Dion,
Minister of the Environment, today reaffirmed Canada's commitment to work
with circumpolar governments and Arctic peoples by signing the Ministerial
Declaration at the fourth biennial meeting of the Arctic Council where
Minister Dion represented Canada on behalf of the Honourable Pierre
Pettigrew, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Declaration refers to issues of importance to the eight member states
and six indigenous peoples groups of the Arctic Council. These issues are
discussed in a series of comprehensive studies presented at the meeting.
Among them are the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, the Arctic Human
Development Report, and the Arctic Marine Strategic Plan which are
particularly important to Canada.

"The great stresses put on the unique and fragile Arctic ecosystems have
been fully brought to the world's attention for the first time today," said
Minister Dion. "The reports tabled at the conference will support key
environmental commitments made by the Government of Canada in the most
recent Speech from the Throne. Most notably, these reports will help inform
our Northern Strategy and will complement our Oceans Action Plan."

"Canada's commitment to partnership with Northern peoples and our
circumpolar neighbours to address issues of common concern and
responsibility remains an important part of our foreign policy as
highlighted in The Northern Dimension of Canada's Foreign Policy," said Mr.
Pettigrew. "Our participation in the Arctic Council, a priority in that
policy, underscores our desire to engage in cooperative efforts to make a
positive difference in the lives of Northerners in the Circumpolar North."

The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), a four year project of the
Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee, is an expert
scientific assessment of the current and projected consequences of climate
change and the effects of increased UV radiation in the Arctic. The ACIA is
the most comprehensive peer-reviewed assessment of Arctic climate change
ever undertaken, and involved over 250 international scientists and
traditional knowledge experts, including 77 Canadians. The ACIA sets out the
following policy actions:

· Mitigation

· Adaptation

· Research, observations, monitoring and modelling

· Outreach

The Arctic Human Development Report is a comprehensive assessment of human
conditions in the entire circumpolar region. The report will help identify
critical gaps in knowledge that require the attention of the scientific
community and will help set the agenda and establish priorities for the work
of the Arctic Council.  This report both identifies problems encountered in
the North today and highlights success stories.

Co-led by Canada and Iceland, the Arctic Marine Strategic Plan is a
coordinating framework intended to improve how the Arctic coastal and marine
environment is managed, particularly given the accelerated changes occurring
in the north from climate change and the possibility of increased economic
activity. The Plan includes four overarching goals:

· reduce and prevent marine pollution;

· conserve biodiversity and ecosystem functions;

· promote the health and prosperity of communities;  and

· advance sustainable resource use.

The Arctic Council is a high-level forum that brings together participants
from the eight circumpolar countries (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States) and six International
Indigenous Peoples organizations (Aleut International Association, Arctic
Athabaskan Council, Gwich'in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar
Conference, Saami Council, and the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples
of the North).

Today marked its fourth biennial meeting following its 1996 founding in
Ottawa.

**********************

Arctic countries concede threat to climate
By BOB WEBER

Canadian Press
November 25, 2004

In a move environmentalists call a modest victory, the world's eight Arctic
nations, including the United States, have agreed that climate change is
threatening northern ecosystems and that greenhouse gases must be limited.

In its policy response to a comprehensive report on Arctic climate change,
the Arctic Council has also agreed that governments must work with northern
peoples to mitigate the effects of a warming climate and approach any new
opportunities it creates with caution.

However, no specific policy recommendations were made.

"It's not the role of the Arctic Council to direct governments and say to
them what to do," federal Environment Minister Stéphane Dion said from
Reykjavik, where the council was meeting.

In a communiqué, all eight members of the council endorsed the policy
recommendations of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report.

The report, released earlier this month, was the result of four years of
work by more than 300 scientists. It found that the Arctic is warming at
twice the rate of the rest of the planet, that such warming is likely to
affect southern regions, and that it would have significant effects on
everything from northern lifestyles to infrastructure.

Yesterday, the ministers agreed that strategies to mitigate climate change
are required.

"These strategies should address net greenhouse gas emissions and limit them
in the long term," say documents supporting the communiqué issued by the
council.

Sheila Watt-Cloutier, head of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, welcomed even that careful statement as a "modest breakthrough."

"This acknowledgment is important," she said in a release.

"The ACIA policy report is more than we expected but less than we hoped."

Samantha Smith, director of the World Wildlife Fund's Arctic program, took a similar stand.

"The Arctic nations had an opportunity to show real leadership," she said in a release.

"They missed this opportunity.

"But through the policy document, even the Bush administration in the U.S. has acknowledged what the scientists and the people in the Arctic have been telling us."

Officials in Reykjavik put the best face on the lack of specific action proposals, calling it "the best possible declaration that could be adopted today."

Previous reports suggested the U.S. delegation opposed stronger language in the policy response.

*********************************************************************
Web search for substance:

Copies of and links to the grand ministerial declaration on "issues of importance" and the "comprehensive" studies on those issues presented to the meeeting except for the previously released ACIA, are nowhere to be found.

1) Arctic Council 4th Biennial Meeting

"policy response to a comprehensive report on Arctic climate change"?

"no specific policy recommendations"

2) Arctic Climate Impact Assessment http://www.acia.uaf.edu/  (previously posted)

3) Arctic Human Development Report

http://www.arctic-council.org/arctic_development.html   (404, link not found)
http://www.arctic-council.org/files/afdr241001/afdr241001.pdf (ditto)

Oct 27, 2004 | General News

The Arctic Human Development Report (ADHR) will be launched at a half-day seminar taking place in the afternoon (13.00-17.30) of Sunday, November 21st at Nordica Hotel, Reykjavik, Iceland. The purpose of the event is to present the main findings of the AHDR and initiate discussion of the next steps.

For further information please contact AHDR project manager Joan Nymand Larsen (jnl@svs.is) or co-chairs Niels Einarsson (ne@svs.is) and Oran Young (young@bren.ucsb.edu). Oran Young represents UArctic in the AHDR process.

Copies of the AHDR report can be ordered from the Stefansson Arctic Institute by emailing: stef@svs.is



4) Arctic Marine Strategic Plan

http://www.arctic-council.org/files/Item521/FinalAMSPforlayout.pdf  (404, file not found)




The programme for the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment is one of the five programmes of the Arctic Council.
PAME was established by the Arctic Council Ministers in Nuuk, Greenland, September 1993 with the mandate to address policy and non-emergency pollution prevention and control measures related to the protection of the Arctic marine environment from both land and sea-based activities. These includes coordinated action programmes and guidelines complementing existing legal arrangements.

6) Guess what is readily available:

ARCTIC OIL AND GAS GUIDELINES


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