9781422279267

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Seeking Cooperation

Henshaw, who focuses on Arctic peoples, said at a 2016 lecture in Maine that those people “know the region better than anyone on Earth, so I think in terms of informing the kind of science that gets done in the Arctic they’re critical.They’re important also in terms of understanding how the environment’s changing and what it means for people who live there.” Since theArctic is so crucial to world trade and politics, other nations and international groups have what is called observer status.They can send representatives toArctic Council meetings and provide information. The observer countries include the United Kingdom, Germany, France, China, and Japan. Observer groups include several environmental organizations and pro- grams set up by the United Nations. The Arctic Council, according to its website, has “a broad mandate to address issues of relevance to the Arctic Region and its peoples.” The member countries of the council rotate every two years as the acting chair of the group. The United States held the chairmanship from 2015 to 2017 and stressed three main topics: improving living conditions for people in Arctic communities, examining issues related to the Arctic Ocean, and addressing the effects of climate change. Larger international agreements also affect relations among theArctic nations and other interested countries.About 60 percent of the Arctic Region is made up of the Arctic Ocean and nearby waters, such as the Bering Sea and parts of the North Atlantic Ocean.After 1982, most of the world’s nations signed the United