Inuit form common position on Arctic development

A document outlining their official position, which will be released ahead of the Arctic Council meeting in Nuuk, Greenland, will not stray far from core concepts agreed upon earlier this year.

While Inuit leaders from Russia, Greenland, Alaska and Canada failed to negotiate a common position regarding Arctic development at a meeting convened for that purpose in Ottawa, Canada in February, they agreed on certain provisions that would encourage cautious development. Those include ensuring that Inuit would benefit from mining or offshore activities in the Arctic; that companies will respect the rights of Inuit and other aboriginal groups and that oil and gas companies follow the Arctic Council’s safety guidelines for offshore activity.

The declaration will also call for an international mechanism that would fund liability and compensation for oil pollution and potential damage resulting from oil exploration and exploitation in Arctic waters. It is expected to reiterate Inuit opposition to uranium mining.

Greenland lifted a ban on uranium mining last September, inviting an Australian mining company to begin exploring the island’s rare minerals. In Canada, Inuit leaders in the territory of Nunavut placed uranium exploration projects on hold until they were better informed about the extent to which uranium can be responsibly mined.

Greenland Inuit strongly support opening up their regions to oil and gas development, having recently opened up Davis Strait to offshore drilling as a step toward granting Greenland economic independence from Denmark. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic contains nearly a third of the world’s gas reserves and 13% of the world’s oil. Greenland alone is estimated to contain up to 50 billion barrels of oil.