Call for Papers: Conference on the Legal issues associated with the development and use of Arctic energy resources, 25 - 26th September, 2014

The Faculty of Law, at the University of Tromsø is pleased to announce the call for papers for the energy law conference on “The legal issues associated with the development and use of energy resources in the Arctic”.
You are invited to submit proposals to present a paper addressing the conference theme, broadly construed. Without intending to be prescriptive, examples of topics that would fall within the scope of the conference include legal issues (domestic and international law) related to any of the following in an Arctic context: the role of strategic and project-specific environmental assessments; energy markets; energy security in an Arctic context; energy relations between the EU and Russia; the energy relations of Nordic States; energy relations between the EU and Arctic states; the role of renewables in the Arctic including wind, geothermal, tidal; non-conventional energy resources such as gas hydrates; the oil and gas leasing regimes of Arctic states; infrastructure issues (transmission lines and pipelines); navigation and other law of the sea issues associated with getting Arctic resources to market; liability issues and liability regimes for energy projects; insurance issues; project financing issues; delimitation of maritime zones and the management of transboundary hydrocarbon resources; extended continental shelf claims; energy resource projects on indigenous lands; social licence to operate; climate change issues (e.g. regulation of black carbon); Arctic energy resources and endangered species; energy as a human right; energy efficiency; regional governance issues (e.g. the role of the Arctic Council, OSPAR etc).

Proposals will be considered by the conference convenors on the basis of academic merit and policy significance and fit with the conference theme. Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be submitted to the convenors by April 30, 2014. Abstracts should be sent to maria.m.neves@uit.no.

We anticipate (depending on numbers) being able to cover the costs of hotel accommodation and meals for those selected to present papers.

For more information on the conference please visit our website www.uit.no/lawofthesea or contact christin.skjervold@uit.no.

Steering Committee
Professor Nigel Bankes—University of Calgary and University of Tromsø
Associate Professor Ingvild Ulrikke Jakobsen—University of Tromsø
Research Fellow Maria Madalena das Neves—University of Tromsø
Johan Petter Barlindhaug—Chairman of the Board of Directors of North Energy ASA

Confirmed Keynote Speakers
Else Berit Eikeland, Member of the Arctic Council - Senior Arctic Official, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Professor Timo Koivurova—Arctic Centre/University of Lapland
Professor Kim Talus—University of Eastern Finland
Dr. Anatole Boute—University of Aberdeen

The conference aims to bring together scholars, graduate students, practitioners, representatives of the energy industry, non-governmental organizations and indigenous peoples to discuss a range of legal issues associated with the development and use of energy resources in the Arctic.

The WTO Panel Decision on the EU’s Rules on the Marketing of Seal Products: Who Won and Who Lost? by Elizabeth Whitsitt and Nigel Bankes

The University of Calgary Faculty of Law Blog on Developments in Alberta Law has recently released an interesting article written by Elizabeth Whitsitt and Nigel Bankes on the WTO Panel Decision on the EU's Rules on the Marketing of the Seal Products. Read more from:

The WTO Panel Decision on the EU’s Rules on the Marketing of Seal Products: Who Won and Who Lost?

Launch of New Blog: K.G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea

The recently formed K.G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea is pleased to announce the launch of the Centre's blog which will provide commentary on developments in the law of the sea. 

The first post, authored by Alex Oude Elferink on the ITLOS Provisional Measures decision on the Arctic Sunrise Incident  is available here The Arctic Sunrise Incident and the International Law of the Sea.

E-Book: Current Developments in Arctic Law

Short Introduction:

Ongoing changes in the Arctic generate an increase of human activities (e.g., shipping and exploitation of natural resources), ones which will require legal and other regulation if they are to be safe and sustainable. This book compiles 18 short contributions that will provide into how the law and policy function in the Arctic. Many of the contributions identify legal issues that will shape the future of the Arctic, offering perspectives that would benefit the legal community at large.

Read More: Current Developments in Arctic Law

Arctic Circle: A New Initiative in Arctic Dialogue

by Kamrul Hossain

Yet another leader – Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson – the President of Iceland has stepped in to warn the world of the consequences of the changes occurring in the Arctic. It was exactly 25 years ago in October 1987, the then Soviet leader Michael Gorbachev, in the landmark Murmansk initiative, announced the Arctic as a “zone of peace”, which created the basis for the establishment of an inter-governmental cooperation body known as “Arctic Council”. Since 1996 the Arctic Council has been successfully dealing with Arctic Affairs addressing multiple issues that affect Arctic environment and societies and its people including highlights on its significant number of indigenous peoples. While the inter-governmental body as a whole is a closed one involving only the eight Arctic states, in recent years, rapid changes occurring in the Arctic have got eye opening situation also for the non-Arctic nations from the rest of the world. The Arctic Council although has recently added six non-Arctic nations as observers, the latter nevertheless do not have any effective role to play rather than only observing the meetings.

President Grímsson’s initiative – Arctic Circle – thus finds a place where not only the Arctic states, actors, stakeholders and its people will have a role to play, but also it involves all other actors, regardless of where-so-ever they are from, either effected by the changes taking place in the region or have got legitimate interests in the Arctic. These actors include nation states, as well as business companies, academics, policy analysts, think tank institutions, NGOs, media etc. The first meeting of the initiative has just taken place in Icelandic capital Reykjavik from 12-14 October 2013. Quite an impressive number of states’ representatives including Ministers and Ambassadors both from Arctic and non-Arctic nations attended the meeting. President Putin of Russia sent Mr. Artur Chilingravo – the Russian polar explorer, who became a legendary figure after planting Russian flag in 2007 underneath the North Pole – as his special envoy, who explained Russia’s position in the Arctic. What makes the event special was an all-inclusive participation from variety of different sectors including, among others business sectors, such as shipping, oil and gas, tourism etc.            

The three day conference was full of interesting presentations, both academic and non-academic, from a range of issues of Arctic interests. The presentations brought both alarming pictures pertaining to climate change and environmental consequence as well as the pictures on new opportunities bringing economic boom to the region. On one hand the presentations show the concerns from environmentalists, and on the other hand they also show responses from companies on ways how they see things are moving ahead with sufficient precaution based on the available scientific knowledge of the region. Interestingly, the conference has seen huge interactions on cross-sectoral issues. Listening to each other’s views, discussions and dialogues amongst participants from multiples sectors with differing interests brought innovation in dealing with the Arctic. The repercussion of disseminated knowledge definitely brings significant incentives where balanced actions for sustainability have been the highlighted issue. The full of presentations have not limited the conference itself to only a venue for serious discussions. It had a lot of fun part too. For many it has also been a venue for meeting good old colleagues as well as a ground for network building.         

It is not yet completely clear, what future does the Arctic Circle predict – whether it aims to emerge as a formal institution or not – President Grímsson, nevertheless, desires to hold the gathering as an annual event every year. It is thus yet to be seen in which direction Arctic Circle moves, but for sure its annual gathering will bring new insights in knowledge building and sharing within the Arctic itself, and with the rest of the world.     

Sending of Blog Post!

Blog posts can be sent to the following email address:

arctic.law.network@gmail.com

Dear Arctic law thematic network fellows,

 

 

It will be great to see most of you in the forthcoming Polar law symposium/Arctic Circle in Iceland.

 

NEWS: our electronic book is now out – wonderful. Dr. Hasanat did a great job in finalizing the format of the electronic book, which you can find from http://www.arcticcentre.org/InEnglish/RESEARCH/The-Northern-Institute-for-Environmental-and-Minority-Law/University-of-the-Arctic-Thematic-Network-on-Arctic-Law/Publications (we will also create a link from the University of the Arctic’s website to this publication).

 

ANOTHER PIECE OF NEWS: We have created a possibility for you to blog on Arctic law related issues and questions. Our aim here is to publish short pieces on topical Arctic legal issues (between 400 and 700 words). We encourage you – the members of the thematic network – to contribute to the blog, and to circulate this thematic network blog posts amongst your circles. The blog will also be visible also in the University of the Arctic’s website so we can reach much wider audiences by blogging this way. Dr. Kamrul Hossain, who has done a great job with creating this possibility, will administer the blog. The blog can be accessed through the link: http://www.arcticlawnetwork.blogspot.fi/ Please send your contributions addressed to Dr. Hossain at: <thematic.law.network@gmail.com> 

 

The University of the Arctic will announce these accomplishments soon in their news section.

 

So, colleagues, see you soon in Iceland!

 

Best, Timo

 

 

Timo Koivurova

Research professor, director

The Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law

Arctic Centre

University of Lapland