Politics of Sustainability in the Arctic: A Research Agenda

Stories, emotions, partnerships and the quest for stable relationships in the Greenlandic mining sector

“…There has been a growing tendency to focus on mining and tourism as new growth sectors, and Greenlandic politicians have come to see mining as one of the important ways to strengthen Polar Record the Greenlandic economy that ensures what the government calls "economic self-sustainability for Greenland" (Coalition Agreement, 2014-2018, p. 3). The concept of sustainability in this context has been used primarily to imply that Greenlandic society would be able to sustain itself economically (Gad, Jakobsen & Strandsbjerg, 2017). That makes sense (see Gad et al, 2017) within a national logic according to which it is neither nature nor Aboriginal culture, but a particular communityin this case the modern, post-colonial Greenlandic onethat finally needs to be sustained in the (perfect) future to come.…”

“…The concept of sustainability in this context has been used primarily to imply that Greenlandic society would be able to sustain itself economically (Gad, Jakobsen & Strandsbjerg, 2017). That makes sense (see Gad et al, 2017) within a national logic according to which it is neither nature nor Aboriginal culture, but a particular communityin this case the modern, post-colonial Greenlandic onethat finally needs to be sustained in the (perfect) future to come. In effect, these expectations and extractivist logics tend to spill over into politics and lead to a focus on stability, not only in economic politics but also in the political landscape and public debate overall.…”

The contours of the development of non-living resources in Greenland

“…A significant number of commentators are of the opinion that the development of mineral and energy resources (non-living resources) is one of the more obvious methods for approaching those goals (Rasmussen & Gjertsen, 2018, p. 128). Gad et al explain the present political situation in Greenland by quoting the words of former Prime Minister Aleqa Hammond that Greenland’s immediate goal, set through the development of non-living resources, is a sustainable economy, which is necessary for the achievement of the long-term goal of political independence (Gad et al, 2017, 2018). Hammond, focusing on China’s interest in Greenland’s non-living resources (see Jakobsson, 2018; Jiang, 2018; Lanteigne & Shi, 2019), stated that the degree of Greenland’s integration into the world’s economy would be enhanced by sharing common interests with the Chinese (see Table 3) (Gad et al, 2017, p. 18).…”

The balance between critical thinking and paradigm thinking in the Arctic: Scientific cooperation across theoretical divides

“…Work in the AC during the pandemic shifted when possible to primarily online meetings as in-person meetings became impossible and some projects were impossible to run (WWF Arctic Programme, 2022). Throughout the period of pandemic politics and environmental politics, the perception of the societal value of science was not static and actors utilised the scientific findings in order to support their versions of what the current and the future world should look like (see Gad, Jakobsen, & Strandsbjerg, 2017) for a study of the politics of sustainability which sheds some light on the utilisation of concepts for political purposes in the Arctic). Actors’ visions for the future may be complexified by their interests, metaphysical positioning, and emotional condition, as well as, other factors such as social status and role, culture, material wealth, and the actors’ perceptions of risk (Maxwell, 2017).…”