The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has launched a new inquiry into the UK's role in Arctic sustainability.

Announcing the review, the Committee said that in light of recent and ongoing political and environmental change, it would examine the extent to which the government’s approach to the Arctic is fit for purpose.

Mary Creagh, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee said:

"The Arctic is one of the fastest changing environments on the planet, the consequences of which could impact the climate, sea level, weather and plants and animal species here in the UK."

“The UK has tried to influence Arctic States through our world class-reputation for Arctic science and promoting responsible commercial development. Our inquiry will be taking an in depth look at whether the Government is doing enough to protect this fragile environment."

The Arctic is undergoing profound changes as a result of climate change. It is warming almost twice as fast as the global average. This is likely to affect the UK’s climate, sea level and distribution of terrestrial and marine species. The observed decline in sea ice extent could see increased use of arctic sea routes for commercial shipping, and other economic activity, including tourism, which has grown rapidly in the last few decades.

Governance of the Arctic is managed through the Arctic Council (made up of eight Arctic States and Arctic Indigenous Peoples) and defined in a series of international laws and agreements.

The UK is the most northern country outside of the Arctic States and is a permanent Observer on the Council. The European Union does not currently have Observer status but in 2016 it produced an integrated EU Policy for the Arctic. 

In 2013, the Government published an arctic strategy policy framework which set out its vision for a safe, secure and well governed Arctic.

Specific policy areas highlighted in the framework included the continued funding of UK-led Arctic research, promoting good governance and business standards in the region. The Government said that it would keep its policy framework under review.

The EAC said that since its publication in 2013, the rate of environmental change in the Arctic has increased, including the decline in the extent of sea ice and that “Funding of US research agencies with a long history in the Arctic, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), have also been put in doubt following political developments in the US.”

The inquiry will assess what the Government has achieved through its policy framework to date, examine the extent to which the framework enables the Government to effectively pursue its, as well as global, interests in the Arctic, and determine whether the framework is still fit for purpose in light of recent developments.

The Committee has invited submissions on the following issues by 5pm on Wednesday, 26 April. Later submissions will be accepted, but may be too late to inform the first oral evidence hearing.

Governance

• Has the UK’s policy framework on the Arctic helped it achieve its vision of ensuing ‘policies are developed on the basis of sound science with full regard to the environment, and where only responsible development takes place’? Is the framework still fit for purpose in light of environmental and geopolitical changes?
• How effective has the UK been in pursuing its vision through its Observer status on the Arctic Council, as well as in other international forums and in negotiating multilateral agreements relevant to the Arctic?
• What role did the UK play in developing the integrated European Union policy for the Arctic and encouraging the sustainable exploitation of Arctic resources? How will this role change when the UK leaves the EU?

Scientific research

• What are the most significant environmental changes taking place in the Arctic, what is changing and what does it mean for the Arctic and the UK?
• How does the Government’s focus on promoting and funding UK scientific research in the Arctic increase its influence with Arctic States and other international fora relevant to the Arctic? How does the UK’s involvement in international scientific fora (such as the International Arctic Science Committee) and bilateral research projects between countries help?
• What impact has the Natural Environmental Research Council’s (NERC) recent 5 year research programme had so far? What is being done to assess its impact in the future? What is the process for deciding what follows?

Commercial activities

• To what extent has the UK promoted business standards, best practice and responsible development in the Arctic and thereby reduced environmental impact of commercial activities (including fossil fuel extraction, mining, shipping and tourism)? How successful has it been? What more could it do?
• How successful has the Government been in promoting the UK as a centre of commercial expertise with direct relevance to the industries which are growing in the Arctic (e.g. insurance and risk management)?

The EAC is separately seeking to appoint a specialist adviser to the inquiry and is inviting expressions of interest  from individuals who have expert knowledge of one or more of the issues covered in the terms of reference. Deadline to submit expressions of interest for the role, which  is likely to run from June until July 2017, is 5pm on Wednesday 26 April 2017.

Click here for further information about the EAC Arctic inquiry

Click here for further information about the Specialist Adviser role