Northern Environmental Waste Management

The background for EWMA was to establish an interdisciplinary competence cluster for industrial waste management in petromaritim and mineral industry in cold climate. The goal was to conduct research, education and networking as well as being an attractive partner for business, knowledge institutions and authorities. EWMA has contributed to the establishment of two new science groups at UiT, environmental geology and ecotoxicology. There have been several courses and educations during the period and there are 5 PhD and 11 post docs in connection with EWMA. There have also been several master students and graduate students. Business, government, institute sector and university has recruited the candidates. Findings and results have been presented to the Norwegian Environment Agency, and there has been dialogue seminars in which authorities, interest groups, business and knowledge institutions have come together to discuss research status and the way forward. EWMA has cooperated with companies in waste management, mineral extraction and petroleum activities. In January 2018, the work has resulted in 83 scientific publications, 52 poster and oral presentations, 27 popular scientific publications (interview, news, etc.) and 3 dialog / work seminars, as well as contributed in a number of publications and work without direct acknowledgement. The scientific community in EWMA has also created of several other projects and the acquisition of funds. BARCUT (Barents Sea Drill Cuttings Research Initiative) is interdisciplinary and an example that will continue beyond the EWMA period.

Project summary. A substantial part of the worlds unexploited petroleum resources are localized in the northern regions. This is supposed to give a substantial growth in the petroleum and shipping industry in the north. How the waste from these activities can be managed in the most proper way is now given high attention, both from the authorities and the industry itself. Drill cuttings e.g. are a type of waste that holds the possibility for being reused, and in that way could be exploited commercially. Th e situation in the Barents Sea indicates that the time is ready to unite North Norwegian competence to ensure consideration to the environment in the north, and simultaneously become an engine in the development of company directed innovations for waste m anagement. The establishment of Environmental Waste Management (EWMA), for which we have applied funding for, will become a centre/network of highly qualified research communities and companies within the waste sector for the petroleum and shipping indus try. The project couples research communities and industry partners with the shared idea of building up the research activities, education offers and technology, especially for the Barents Sea region. Ny per 1/7-14 In the coming three-year period, the Northern Environmental Waste Management (EWMA) project will aim its attention towards research and education. The research will be organised into two main priority areas – effects of environmental pollution and the actions that are to be put in place for preventing and reducing the effects of potential environmental impacts. In this respect, as pointed out by our industry partners, it is important also to pay attention towards what both the industry and management refer to as Best Available Technique (BAT) and Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). Building competence and conducting relevant research within these fields will be important to establish EWMA as a key centre for knowledge, research and education in the High North, and in areas relevant for new and expanding industrial activities in cold climates. In addition, EWMA will pay special attention towards the establishment and further development of educational programmes that fall within these priority areas. A new BSc programme in Arctic Environmental Pollution and Management is already established at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, and will be expanded also to MSc and PhD level within the next period of EWMA. Furthermore, a dedicated EVU (“etter og videre utdanning: continued education”) programme Arctic Environment and Surroundings will offer relevant and important education for candidates from within both the governmental and private sector. In the coming three-year period, we will organise our project into three larger work packages, thereby increasing the synergies and impact from the ongoing research activities. We have an expressed ambition of ending the next three-year period by developing a SFI (or similar) proposal. This, together with the competence and educational programmes established through EWMA, will ensure a lasting legacy for the benefit of all the three northern counties specifically, and for an eco-safe development in the High North in general.