The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
As climate change rapidly transforms the Arctic, the ocean at its center becomes a point of focus: melting sea ice enables increased marine traffic; ice-dependent species are migrating or dying; fisheries shift and with them economies of subsistence. These changes can mean risk or opportunity for different stakeholders.
This study group will use Arctic Ocean change as a case study to outline the environmental policy process. Our five-seminar series will cover the topics of:
- Intro to the changing Arctic Ocean: Mapping stakeholders in a changing landscape
- Science creation and communication: Understanding scientist measure change and how their analyses can inform policy.
- Regional policy development: Understanding the process of co-developing policy through the lens of the plastics pollution challenge in the Arctic.
- Diplomacy: Understanding the precautionary principle, and what it took to achieve groundbreaking conservation policy in the Central Arctic Ocean
- Policy implementation: Once policy is developed, how is it deployed? We will look at the successes and challenges in implementing Arctic marine mammal protections.
This weekly study group will meet virtually on Wednesdays from 12:00–1:00pm ET.
March 10, 17, 24, 31, and April 7.
For questions please contact Arctic Initiative Fellows : sarah_dewey@hks.harvard.edu or sarah_mackie@hks.harvard.edu.
