Making use of Arctic science - The Case of the Arctic Council

The Arctic Council has been widely hailed for producing and synthesising scientific findings and knowledge. Based on these findings, the working groups of the Arctic Council have made recommendations on what states and the international community should do to safeguard the Arctic. However, less is known about when, how, and why this knowledge and recommendations are used. We ask the following question: To what extent and under what conditions do member states use the knowledge and policies generated in the Arctic Council? We narrow in on three key issue areas in the work of the AC: short-lived climate pollutants, biodiversity and marine protected areas, and maritime shipping. The project will analyse and compare the science–policy nexus in two Arctic states—Norway and Canada—which differ in analytically conducive ways. How does the science assessed and synthesised by the Arctic Council directly or indirectly affect policy decisions and environmental management in the two states?

The overarching aim of this project is to analyse the Arctic Council and its role as a platform for dealing with local, national, regional and global challenges of relevance to the "new" Arctic. The Arctic Council has been hailed for producing and synthesizing scientific findings and knowledge, and for its role in making the Arctic region more visible. However, less is known about when, how and why this knowledge is used. We ask: To what extent and how and under what conditions is knowledge and policies generated in the Arctic Council used? We narrow in on three key issue-areas in the work of the Arctic Council: Short-lived climate pollutions, Biodiversity and Maritime shipping. To refine the analysis we will compare the science-policy nexus in two Arctic states, Norway and Canada. The project will lean primarily on two fields of study: political science and international law. Further, the project will draw on both rationalist and constructivist scholarship. Aware of the epistemological and ontological differences in these two main traditions, we argue for a more pragmatic approach. By acknowledging its complexity, researchers from several traditions should be able to provide a more complete picture of this field of study. User/stakeholder involvement is also an important element in the project. The reference group will ensure the most updated information and ensure policy relevance and will also provide the necessary link between the work of natural scientists, technology studies and Permanent Paricipants in the Arctic Council's Working Groups, the state ministries and agencies, and this project.