The Arctic Frontiers conference kicked off on Sunday, January 24th, as about 1,300 delegates from around the world gathered in the northern Norwegian city of Tromsø to discuss the balance between industrial and environmental interests in the Arctic.
The conference takes place annually during the fourth week of January in the city also known as the Gateway to the Arctic. This region holds substantial natural resources and many actors are investigating ways to utilise these for economic gain. Others view the Arctic as a particularly pristine and vulnerable environment and highlight the need to limit industrial development.
At an opening ceremony at the Fram Centre in central Tromso Sunday evening, Jan-Gunnar Winther and Harald Steen from the Norwegian Polar Institute presented the 2015 Norwegian Winter Research Expedition to the Arctic Ocean, which shows a thinning ice with dramatic consequences in the region.

Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Børge Brende, at Arctic Frontiers 2016 – State of the Arctic
International arena for discussions on sustainable development in the Arctic
The conference Arctic Frontiers addresses the management of opportunities and challenges to achieve economically viable growth parallel with social and environmental sustainability in the Arctic.
Arctic Frontiers brings together academia, government and business to create a foundation for decision-making in the Arctic. Delegates will explore ways to achieve a well-planned, well-governed and sustainable development in the Arctic during various sessions of the conference, most of them will be held at University of Tromsø, the world’s northernmost university.
The Arctic Frontiers conference has become one of the main platforms for discussions of Arctic issues to ensure a sustainable development in the region over the past decade.
The complete Arctic Frontiers Policy from the main auditorium is being broadcast live on the internet. The stream is being broadcasted in English and Russian.
Source:
Arctic Frontiers – official webpage
My News Desk – Upcoming events: Arctic Frontiers
Shanghai Daily – Arctic Fronties conference kicks off in Norway’s Tromsø
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