Arctic Initiative

Speaker: Ane Lone Bagger, Minister of Education, Culture, Church, and Foreign Affairs, Greenland

Moderator: Halla Hrund Logadóttir, Co-Founder and Co-Director, Arctic Initiative

Greenland, the world's biggest island, has long held a strategic geographic and political position in global affairs. It has made headlines recently, after President Donald Trump stated he wanted to buy the island, because of its strategic location in the Arctic and its wealth of natural resources. Greenland's foreign minister, Ane Lone Bagger, had told Reuters: "We are open for business, but we’re not for sale."

 Join the Arctic Initiative for an insightful lunch with Greenland's Minister of Education, Culture, Church and Foreign Affairs, Ane Lone Bagger, about how Greenland is responding to the shifting dynamics in the Arctic as climate change is transforming the island and the waters surrounding it, opening up the region to the outside world.

Lunch provided. 

This event is currently at capacity. To be added to the wait-list please email brittany_janis@hks.harvard.edu by 4 PM, Monday, September 9th, 2019. RSVPs recorded on a first-requested, first-reserved basis.

This year, the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative is selecting a small group of 2–3 Harvard students to present their ideas at the Arctic Innovation Lab in Iceland. The Lab takes place at the world's largest Arctic gathering, the Arctic Circle Assembly, from October 10–13, 2019.  The trip for students selected for the Lab is funded by the Arctic Initiative. Before traveling to Iceland, students are expected to attend three, 1-hour, group sessions which will support students in the process of developing their ideas. Students are also required to set up office-hours with members of the Arctic Initiative team as they work independently to hone their pitch.

Students interested in applying to be an Arctic Innovator should fill out this application form by September 6 to be considered for the program: https://forms.gle/yxCWGpW4xqrhVnjX6.

Professor Nicholas Burns and Kåre Aas, Ambassador of Norway to the United States, will discuss the role of diplomacy in combating climate change and the precarious state of our shared oceans. 

Co-sponsored by the Arctic Initiative and the Environment and Natural Resources Program at the Belfer Center. 

Speakers: Fran Ulmer, Chair, U.S. Arctic Research Commission; Senior Fellow, Arctic Initiative; Elizabeth Arnold, Journalist

Moderator: Halla Hrund Logadóttir, Co-founder and Co-Director, Arctic Initiative 

As climate change begins to impact communities globally, it's crucial for women to take a stand as leaders for ethical and equitable climate adaptation. Nowhere is this leadership challenge felt more strongly than in the Arctic. 

This program is co-hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School's Arctic Initiative and the Women and Public Policy Program.

Lunch provided.  Please RSVP to karin_vander_schaaf@hks.harvard.edu by 4 PM, Friday, February 8, 2019. RSVPs recorded on a first-requested, first-reserved basis.

Speaker: Amb. David A. Balton, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs

The Central Arctic Ocean has essentially been ice-covered year-round since the dawn of human history … until now. As a result of climate change, a growing portion of the Arctic Ocean is ice-free for an increasing part of the year, making it possible to contemplate the advent of high seas fisheries in the region. But on October 3, 2018, nine nations and the European Union signed an unusual international agreement that will effectively postpone the start of such fisheries and will instead launch a joint program of scientific research for the Arctic. David Balton, who chaired the negotiations that produced this agreement, will describe the geopolitical forces that made the agreement possible, outline the agreement's basic elements, and consider the place of the agreement in the growing architecture for governing the Arctic Ocean.

Lunch provided.

RSVP by 5 PM, Tuesday, November 6

The second Arctic Innovators student cohort will present their ideas for the fast-changing Arctic region. Join us and vote for your favorite idea!

Light refreshments will be provided. Please bring your own reusable beverage container to help us reduce waste.

The Arctic Initiative will host a seminar with Tero Vauraste, Chair of the Arctic Economic Council and CEO of the Finnish specialized icebreaker company, Arctia Group. Mr. Vauraste will discuss the linkages between free trade, the environment, and security. The discussion will be moderated by Halla Hrund Logadóttir, Co-Founder of the Arctic Initiative. 

Lunch will be served. RSVP required.

The Arctic Initiative will host a seminar with Joel Clement, former Director of the U.S. Department of the Interior's Policy Office, discussing risk and resilience of Arctic communities in the face of climate change.

Lunch will be provided.

A public address by His Excellency Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, President of Iceland. Moderated by John Holdren, President Obama's Science Advisor and Director of the White Office of Science and Technology Policy (January 2009 – January 2017); Co-Director, Belfer Center's Science, Technology and Public Policy Program.

The first Arctic Innovators student cohort will present their ideas for the fast-changing Arctic region. Join us and vote for your favorite idea!