POLARPROG-Polarforskningsprogram

This project brought together an international team of experts from seven Arctic countries to develop an interdisciplinary synthesis and assess the state of knowledge about Arctic sustainability and sustainable development. ASUS built on the IPY knowledge base and its projects to provide a comprehensive, inclusive and transdisciplinary synthesis and outlined the contours of emerging Arctic sustainability science. ASUS aimed to contribute to conceptual, applied and educational aspects of Arctic sustainability. Collaboration among circumpolar natural and social scientists and Arctic stakeholders was advanced to enable a state-of- the-art synthesis of knowledge aimed at improving health, human development and well-being of Arctic communities while conserving ecosystem structures, functions and resources. ASUS addressed three overarching questions: What is the state of knowledge about sustainability, its meanings and aspects (environmental, cultural, etc.) in the Arctic? How is sustainability attainable in a changing Arctic, and what management and governance practices are most successful? What are the best ways of measuring and monitoring dynamics towards adaptation, thrivability, and sustainability in the Arctic? To bridge knowledge gaps, the project set out to 1) accomplish knowledge synthesis about Arctic sustainability and sustainable development based on existing case studies and observations made in various Arctic regions; 2) identify interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks providing integrated views of sustainability in the Arctic; 3) identify management and governance practices that are most successful in achieving sustainable development in the Arctic; 4) identify the most suitable monitoring frameworks to measure dynamics towards sustainable development; 5) develop a future research agenda for Arctic sustainability and sustainable development. ASUS endeavored to maintain collaborative relationships with Arctic communities, Indigenous organizations, and policymakers by organizing community workshops and coordinating dissemination activities Thus, we have created a platform in ASUS for a co-creation of knowledge around sustainability, sustainable development, sustainability science and climate resilience. The two major outputs were: to create, strengthen, and maintain a network of Arctic sustainability scientists who can work together and separately to deliver research, teaching, and outreach on the major topic areas outlined above, and the publication of a book (now separated into 2 volumes) on a synthesis of knowledge on Arctic sustainability science. This forms the foundation for producing teaching and research at our respective institutions, and to bring this baseline knowledge to others focusing on sustainability science in the Arctic, especially to non-Arctic stakeholders who are claiming co-creation of and comparative knowledges of the Arctic. We hope that the books may be used as textbooks for courses that focus on sustainability science.

We had many community knowledge sharing events that we hope expanded the knowledges regarding sustainability and sustainability science that communities can use to promote social, economic, cultural, and environmental sustainability in the face of massive industrialization, urbanization, and climate change in the Arctic. Many meetings and events took place throughout the Circumpolar Arctic during the life of the project. Please see the longer report attached to this end-of-project report.

ASUS: Arctic SUStainability: A Synthesis of Knowledge The Barents Institute at the Arctic University of Norway One of the major aims of ASUS: Arctic SUStainability: A Synthesis of Knowledge is to bring synergies to the various, multinational, and interdisciplinary Arctic sustainability projects currently being undertaken covering the Circumpolar North. This includes all of the Arctic Council countries, including, significantly, half of the Arctic, Russia. The Barents Institute currently holds two projects with a focus on sustainable development in the High North/Arctic: ARCSUS Arctic Urban Sustainability in Russia funded by the Norwegian Research Council under the NORRUSS Programme and NEO-BEAR Sustainable Development in the Barents Region funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, and is also a co-developer of a joint Masters degree on Governance and Entrepreneurship in Northern and Indigenous areas funded by SIU. At the Barents Institute, these projects are led and driven by Dr Aileen A. Espíritu, Researcher and soon Associate Professor (pending). Espíritu is also the PhD supervisor to Karolina Banul, who began a doctorate degree on Arctic Urban Sustainability in August 2014. Banul uses Geographic Information System tools to plot measures of sustainability in the Circumpolar Arctic looking at several case studies of urban areas in the High North. Both Dr Aileen A. Espíritu and Karolina Banul will actively participate in the ASUS project. With these research and teaching projects, our contribution is to add value to the synthesis of the wide-ranging research being done on Arctic sustainability science currently.