Future Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century Arctic

In this panel discussion about the future of the Arctic, the moderator will guide the session and pose several key questions. After the panel members discuss an array of challenges and opportunities facing the Arctic, the session will open to questions from the session participants.
The Arctic is undergoing unprecedented change early in the twenty-first century. The Arctic is rapidly being integrated with the rest of the globe, primarily through the exploration and development of a large, untapped storehouse of natural resources. While global temperatures rise at unprecedented rates, Arctic temperatures have risen much faster—nearly twice the rate of the rest of the planet. This intense warming in the region's climate has been observed in retreating sea ice, melting of Greenland's glacial ice cap, changing permafrost, and altered distributions of floras and fauna. All of these changes pose unique challenges to the people who have lived for millennia throughout the circumpolar north. These and other contemporary issues will be explored by a panel of experts who will seek to inform and debate the extraordinary changes ongoing in the twenty-first-century Arctic.

Who should attend: Government officials, business leaders, academics, and all who have an interest in the once-remote Arctic; all who are concerned about the impacts of climate change and development of the northern regions of the globe.

What you'll learn: Attendees will learn the key issues facing the Top of the World and will have an opportunity to question the experts about the future of the Arctic. Several visions of a future Arctic for the Arctic states, indigenous people, and many stakeholders developing the Arctic's resources.

How this new knowledge can be applied: Participants can apply the discussion of the issues to their understanding of sustainability. Futurists and strategic planners can see how their professions can apply their tools to unravel the many issues facing this frontier region.

Michael Sfraga (chair), vice chancellor and director of the UA Geography Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska

Brian Rogers, chancellor, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska

Lawson Brigham, Distinguished Professor of Geography & Arctic Policy, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska

key words: environment, natural resources, climate, Arctic

issue areas: Resources and Environment, Governance and Communities