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“Arctic knowledge”, including an intent to “continue to deepen the knowledge and
understanding of the Arctic, both inside and outside the region, and to strengthen
Arctic research and transdisciplinary science, encourage cooperation between
higher education institutions and society and synergies between traditional know-
ledge and science”
·
“A strong Arctic Council”
Whatever one may think of them, these three governmental interpretations of the present
and future needs of knowledge and expertise of society and particularly of northern soci-
eties are very useful. They help identify the types of educational and research programmes
that governments value.
To fulfill the Arctic Council's vision of the Arctic of tomorrow requires an eclectic
spectrum of scientific and technological expertise. Science in the Arctic has long said
farewell to the individual specialist focusing on a discrete topic with tenuous linkages to
the needs of society. The science paradigm of today and of tomorrow is that Arctic issues
can only be tackled and financed by interdisciplinary teams often representing quite dispar-
ate areas of expertise.
It may not have been true 15 or 20 years ago, but today, most academic, educational
and research organisations have fully grasped the demands, opportunities and funding real-
ities associated with the new Arctic research paradigm. They are producing graduates and
postgraduates capable of taking up the challenge. However, I am not sure these new po-
tential researchers will find employment in the Arctic because it remains to be seen how
much Arctic governments have themselves understood the implications of the paradigm
shift in relation to their aspirations. If one looks again at the 2013 Arctic Council's vision,
many readers may think that the two objectives of unleashing the Arctic's economic poten-
tial with maintaining a healthy Arctic environment are mutually antagonistic. The catch is
the word “sustainable” that is tagged onto “economic development”.
Trying hard not to take sides in these paragraphs, I will just say that some Arctic re-
sources can be carefully exploited in a sustainable way. However, depending on the activ-
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