Shift in the United States Climate Policy and the Arctic Council Agenda

Environmental issues form the basis of the Arctic Council’s agenda. Since the first Senior Arctic Officials \n(SAOs) meeting in 1996, issues related to ecology and climate have been raised at almost every event under the \naegis of the forum. A substantial number of structures within the forum’s institutional framework were created \nto engage in monitoring exercises and scientific research, as well as to harmonize the positions of Arctic Council \nmembers on the most pressing environmental and climate change concerns in the region. \nIn this regard, the change in the general course of U.S. environmental policy under the administration \nof Donald Trump could significantly complicate the interaction between members in key areas of the Council’s \nagenda. The United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the lifting of the moratorium on oil and \ngas exploitation in the Arctic seabed will certainly impede dialogue within the Council. Nevertheless, there are \nseveral aspects of U.S foreign and internal politics which could work to preserve its long-term environmental \npolicy trend despite changes brought about by the Trump administration. Even in the short term, the activities \nof the U.S. within the Arctic Council and the provisions of the Fairbanks Ministerial Declaration differ from the \npresident’s statements on climate change. \nThe U.S.’s new environmental policy is compared to the priorities of Finland’s 2017–2019 chairmanship \nwhich maintains the traditional environmental focus of the forum’s agenda while intensifying cooperation with \nother international institutions on climate change issues. Thus, the institutional basis established in previous \nyears, and more importantly, the stable agenda and concrete work by the forum’s bodies ensure the effective \nuse and functioning of the Arctic Council. The Finnish presidency and the secretariat of the Arctic Council are \nnot adjusting the agenda to accommodate policy changes of individual members and the working groups have \ncontinued their usual activities

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