A European Environment Agency report investigates how Europe affects the Arctic environment and how changes in the region impact Europe in return. The report presents the European perspectives towards a changing Arctic and suggests how the European Union and its Member States can play a positive role in several policy areas. For the shipping sector, Europe should set ambitious targets and mandatory requirements for Arctic shipping and support environmental and security monitoring.
A large number of European ships operate in the Arctic, including cargo ships, passenger ships, fishing vessels and offshore supply vessels. Many of the industries, shipping companies and tourists are expected to be European, which will affect the EU footprint in the Arctic. The report suggests that Arctic States should determine which environmental protection standards, and which monitoring and enforcement levels, will apply to the maritime areas under national jurisdiction. It will also be up to Arctic nations to decide whether to designate shipping corridors with low environmental impact, or to close or limit shipping during the seasonal migration of whales.
The reduced sea ice cover of the region provides economic opportunities for the industry as it increases access for shipping fishing, offshore oil and gas, or mineral activities, as well as cruise ship tourism. . However, the relationship between sea ice reduction and economic opportunities is not simple, as moving sea ice and icebergs, ice-formation on structures or vessels, bigger waves, low temperatures and light conditions still make operations very challenging in the Arctic Ocean. On the other hand, reduced sea ice cover can cause accidents, disturb breeding grounds or migration routes of marine mammals, diffuse pollution loads (including black carbon) and stress sensitive ecosystems.
Moreover, Arctic shipping and increasing development may allow invasive non-native marine organisms into the Arctic from unmanaged ballast water or on ship hulls and drilling rigs. Pathogens and disease vectors may also arrive with other invasive species.
Although economic development is still ongoing, the expected Arctic boom in shipping, oil and gas extraction and mining has been less than that expected a decade ago. This is partly due to the financial crises in and after 2008 and the present low commodity prices of raw materials, but also because the region is still an expensive place to operate.
Even if the potential for developing Arctic shipping routes or extracting natural resources is high, development still depends on high and stable world market prices, reliable and safe shipping routes, companies’ willingness to invest and insurance companies’ willingness to provide cover for such activities.
The economic downturn and fluctuations in world commodity prices have led to a slowdown in investments in the Arctic, providing more time to build a better understanding of the complexity of the region’s ecosystem and also to develop cleaner technologies and put in place safety standards for long-term protection and prudent stewardship. The report stresses that this window of opportunity should be taken advantage of and that it is insufficient to merely focus efforts on documenting changes in the Arctic.
Find out more by reading the report
