Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Reiersen and Simon Wilson quietly conduct the ACIA orchestra. Their personal contri-
bution and commitment were critical, but the ACIA is a testament to everyone who took
Thisfoundational reportwaspublishedin2005.Itprovidedthebasisfora“plain language”
synthesis report released a year earlier under the title of
Impacts of a Warming Arctic
. We
will take a closer look at what the ACIA had to say later, but at this stage, we will continue
with an unbroken narrative of how the Arctic Council has addressed climate change.
In Reykjavik, in 2004, the Arctic Council ministers reviewed the ACIA synthesis and
made a number of decisions that included the following. They recognized that the Arctic
climate is a critical component of the global climate system, with worldwide implications.
In response, they endorsed a set of policy recommendations concerning such things as mit-
igation, adaptation and research. Although useful, these actions carefully avoided implying
commitment to any particular policy towards, for example, GHG emission reduction. They
did acknowledge the need to consider the findings of the ACIA and other relevant stud-
ies in implementing their commitments under the UNFCCC and other agreements. They
also supported Arctic climate research “so that the exchange of expertise at the global level
through the IPCC can better reflect unique Arctic conditions and that global decision-mak-
ing can take Arctic needs into account”.
At the time, many of us were disappointed with the response from the Arctic Council.
However, it is easy to forget that the ACIA was quite a political hot potato, coming as it
did within the first half of the George W. Bush administration in the United States. In hind-
sight,Ithinkwecouldnotrealistically haveexpected more.Itwasnotabadstart. Theeight
Arctic governments had formally recognized that here was information of great regional
and global significance and that such information should influence their national energy
policies and their actions under the UNFCCC. Thanks to the ACIA, which by 2011 boasted
more than 3,700 citations in the scientific and technical literature, Arctic climate warming
was now under the political spotlight.
An effort was begun by AMAP (and still continues) to promote the results of the
ACIA and of subsequent Arctic climate studies to relevant meetings and organisations all
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