Thoughts on Education, the Training of Arctic Scientists and Arctic Research - The Changing Arctic Environment: The Arctic Messenger - page 326

society. This evolution can be seen in the enormous changes that have taken place in the
natureofArcticscienceoverthelast40years.Theproportionofworkthatiscuriositydriv-
en has dramatically declined and been replaced by work that is directly focused on national
and international perceptions of the priorities of society. The latter span a wide range of
issues that reflect different ways in which interested parties view the Arctic.
How have governments described the needs of society with respect to the Arctic? At the
present time, Canada states that its vision forthe Arctic is “a stable, rules-based region with
clearly defined boundaries” (illustrating a concern about sovereignty), “dynamic economic
growth and trade, vibrant northern communities, and healthy and productive ecosystems”.
At the same time, the EU has described its three main policy objectives for the Arctic this
way:“[1.]protectingandpreservingtheArcticinunisonwithitspopulation,[2.]promoting
the sustainable use of resources, and [3.] contributing to enhanced Arctic multilateral gov-
ernance”. While these two visions are not necessarily contradictory, the language suggests
significant differences in relative balance. When the chair of the Arctic Council passed to
Canada in 2013, Canada announced that economic cooperation would be on the top of the
agenda. At this time, the council expressed its vision under seven headings as follows:

· “A peaceful Arctic”

· “The Arctic home”, reflecting the view that the Arctic Council countries are re-

sponsible for the well-being of all Arctic people as the region develops

· “A prosperous Arctic”, reflecting its view that the economic potential of the Arctic

is enormous and its sustainable development is key to the region's resilience and
prosperity

· “A safe Arctic”

· “A healthy Arctic environment”, expressing its commitment to work within the

Arctic and globally to address the environmental challenges facing the region:
“We remain committed to managing the region with an ecosystem-based approach
which balances conservation and sustainable use of the environment.”

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