Environment & Climate Change

877 Items

Jennifer Spence at Arctic Circle Assembly 2023

Arctic Circle/Flickr

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

Jennifer Spence Named Project Director of Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center

| Mar. 18, 2024

The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School is pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer Spence as Project Director of the Center’s Arctic Initiative. As Project Director, she will steward the Initiative’s scholarship, policy engagement, and youth leadership training on the challenges being created by climate change in the Arctic.

Helheim glacier in Greenland

AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File

Report - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Arctic Climate Science: A Way Forward for Cooperation through the Arctic Council and Beyond

| Mar. 18, 2024

This report is based on insights from a two-day workshop hosted by the Belfer Center’s Arctic Initiative in collaboration with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, the Center for Ocean Governance at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, and the Wilson Center's Polar Institute. Participants developed practical recommendations for facilitating climate science cooperation through the Arctic Council and other institutions.

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Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

The Environmental Impacts of the War in Ukraine in the Arctic

| Mar. 04, 2024

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has devastated Ukraine’s natural environment and the health and well-being of its citizens, but the war’s impacts have also had direct and indirect environmental effects in the Arctic.

This study group, led by Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow Margaret Williams, is evaluating the costs and benefits of renewing cooperation with Russia on science and conservation issues.

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Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Cooperation or Conflict in the Arctic: What to Do About Russia During a Climate Crisis?

| Mar. 04, 2024

This six-session study group, led by Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow Margaret Williams, evaluated the costs and benefits of renewing cooperation with Russia on science and conservation issues. In the process, participants learned about the Arctic's unique environmental and cultural characteristics, as well as the key agreements and governance structures supporting environmental protection and sustainable development in the region. 

Massey College

Wikimedia Commons

Speech - Massey College

Cooperation, Stability, and Security in the Arctic: Strategies for Moving Forward

| January 2024

Jennifer Spence and Sara Olsvig adress the question of how Arctic states can engage Russia in the shared pursuit of pan-Arctic security, stability, and cooperation, while still holding it to account for its egregious violation of international law in invading Ukraine. 

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Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Why the Arctic - and Russia's Role in It - Matters

| Feb. 23, 2024

The Arctic may seem distant and disconnected from the lives of many people. However, this region plays a crucial role in the functioning of our planet and deserves our attention and care. 

This study group, led by Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow Margaret Williams, is evaluating the costs and benefits of renewing cooperation with Russia on science and conservation issues.

footprints in the snow

Adobe Stock/snatalia

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

The Future of Arctic Council Innovation: Charting a Course for Working-Level Cooperation

| Feb. 20, 2024

This report is based on insights from a two-day workshop hosted by the Belfer Center’s Arctic Initiative in collaboration with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, the Center for Ocean Governance at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, and the Wilson Center's Polar Institute. Participants developed practical recommendations for facilitating working-level cooperation through the Arctic Council and other institutions.

cod held by fisherman

AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File

Magazine Article - Boston Globe Magazine

Iceland’s ‘Silicon Valley of Cod’ Holds Secrets for New England’s Fishing Industry

| Feb. 01, 2024

Innovative "ocean clusters” may help save the fishing industry, clean toxins and plastics from the oceans, save burn victims, improve your energy drink, and much more – by using seafood waste, writes Greg Harris.

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

Sara Olsvig Joins Arctic Initiative’s International Advisory Board

| Jan. 25, 2024

The Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is pleased to announce the appointment of Sara Olsvig to its International Advisory Board. Olsvig, a prominent Greenlandic politician and Inuit leader, brings to the Arctic Initiative a wealth of policymaking experience and a deep understanding of Arctic governance, human rights, and Indigenous rights.