Policy Briefs & Testimonies

36 Items

Men haul sections of whale skin and blubber as a bowhead whale is butchered

AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File

Policy Brief - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

The Arctic Warning: Climate-Related Challenges for Community Health

| Aug. 30, 2023

As the biosphere is altered by anthropogenic climate change, the fundamental sources of human health are at risk. Climate change is a healthcare emergency. While this is true globally, the Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average which
puts Arctic populations who are already at special risk, at further risk. This policy brief provides an overview of the climate-related changes that are impacting Arctic citizens’ health now.

flooding in Nome during Typhoon Merbok

AP Photo/Peggy Fagerstrom

Policy Brief - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Climate Change Adaptation Issues for Arctic and Sub-Arctic Cities

| Aug. 30, 2023

Arctic and sub-Arctic cities are already experiencing the impacts of rapid climate change in the region, which pose severe risks to urban infrastructure and the health and livelihoods of urban residents. Environmental changes and extreme weather events compound existing social, economic, and political stressors faced by northern cities. Given these challenges, local authorities are increasingly hard-pressed to provide and maintain safe living and environmental conditions for residents. By learning from these experiences and challenges, decision-makers at various levels of
government can implement further actions to enhance cities’ resilience locally and globally in the face of the adverse effects of climate change.

U.S. Coast Guard Icebreaker Healy

Devin Powell/NOAA via AP

Policy Brief - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Ocean Issues in Alaska: From Fisheries Management to Public Safety and Security

| Aug. 23, 2023

Alaska is an important region for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), given the
Department’s statutory authority and responsibilities. This reality applies with particular force to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), with its jurisdiction over fisheries enforcement, drug interdiction, marine safety, oil spill response, search and rescue, and more. This policy brief provides an overview of the challenges facing the USCG in its domains of operation around Alaska—the Arctic Ocean, the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, the
Chukchi Sea, and the adjacent communities.

Russian icebreaker makes a path for a cargo ship

AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko

Policy Brief - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Arctic Shipping: Trends, Challenges and Ways Forward

| Aug. 23, 2023

The Arctic is continuing to warm three to four times faster than the global average and the sea ice extent is declining precipitously during all months of the year. Due to these trends, shipping activity in the region has expanded significantly over the past two decades. This brings new challenges to maritime safety, sensitive ecosystems, and local people.

Flags of the 8 Arctic states and 6 Permanent Participants

Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs/Gunnar Vigfússon

Policy Brief - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Opportunities for Multilateral Cooperation on Climate Change in the Arctic

| Aug. 16, 2023

This policy brief provides an overview of the importance of and opportunities for multilateral cooperation in the Arctic on issues related to climate change.

Mendenhall Lake in Juneau, Alaska

AP Photo/Becky Bohrer

Policy Brief - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

The Science of Rapid Climate Change in Alaska and the Arctic: Sea Ice, Land Ice, and Sea Level

| Aug. 16, 2023

This policy brief provides an overview of current scientific understandings of climate change in Alaska and the Arctic, with a focus on sea ice, land ice, and sea level change.

steel mill blast furnace

AP Photo/Martin Meissner

Policy Brief - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Green Hydrogen Industrial Value Chains: Geopolitical and Market Implications

| Feb. 09, 2023

Green hydrogen is likely to play a pivotal role in a carbon-free future, as its adoption will enable the decarbonization of energy-intensive industrial processes whose emissions are hard to abate through simple electrification—such as steel and cement production. However, to take advantage of the economic opportunities created by its adoption at scale, countries will need to rethink the roles they could play in a new energy landscape and define strategic industrial policies accordingly.

two reindeer graze on the tundra in Inari, Finland

Unsplash/Tania Malrechauffe

Policy Brief - The Gordon Foundation

Arctic Policy Hackathon: Policy Recommendations for Food Sovereignty in the Arctic

| October 2022

Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow Jennifer Spence facilitated the first Arctic Policy Hackathon in Reykjavik, Iceland - a joint initiative of the Gordon Foundation, the Canadian International Arctic Centre, and the Arctic Mayors’ Forum. The final policy recommendations shift the power to Arctic communities to dictate their own well-being through food sovereignty and should be a priority in Arctic policy discussions.