Newsletter The Grip Tightens Around Svalbard

 Les på norsk

The UN’s climate conference 2024, better known as COP29, is now taking place in Azerbaijan. The Arctic is yet again on the agenda, and climate change has long since shown its face in the region. 

But are we implementing the right measures to mitigate the development? 

New research shows that planting trees in the Arctic could have the opposite effect and, in fact, increase global warming. 

Svalbard 

Last week, Editor and Commentator of High North News, Arne O. Holm, parked the High North Tour RV and headed for the Christmas-decorated Longyearbyen on Svalbard. 

On Svalbard, he wrote this week's comment, as surveys show that the local population is happy while the business sector struggles in a near-endless bureaucratic anthill. 

On Tuesday, the new Svalbard white paper was processed in the Norwegian parliament but not adopted. However, a decision was made to send out a proposal for a tourist tax in Longyearbyen, with yet another short deadline for comments. 

Returning from Svalbard, Holm turned his RV southward but was forced to park in dense snow in Northern Finland. The journey to Sweden, however, turned out to be a nice surprise. 

Defense

Norway is to acquire new frigates with a close ally possessing coinciding strategic interests in the High North. 

And the US, Canada, and Finland recently signed a memorandum of understanding to begin working together on the design and construction of icebreakers.

Business

Journalist Hilde-Gunn Bye has visited the Northern Norwegian business Rapp Bomek, which is entering into an agreement with Equinor, providing the company with a more solid platform for further development. (Norwegian only) 

The fishing quota situation for the rest of 2024 and 2025, are challenging, according to a major Norwegian seafood corporation. 

Oil and gas 

Russia's war in Ukraine sent Europe into an energy crisis and boosted the oil industry. HNN has talked to experts who say that four more years with Donald Trump could entail new thrusts for oil extraction in Alaska. 

And Germany’s Ministry of the Economy instructed a state-owned LNG terminal operator to reject a Russian shipment. 

Feel free to send us a tip at hinn@nord.no.

Best regards, Editor-in-Chief Trine Jonassen