The author Mr Dag Hagenæs Kjelldahl and Ms Birgitte Hygen, Secretary for Press and Culture at the Royal Norwegian Embassy at Royal Geographical Society. |
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TITLE:
"Bear Island" - Book Launch at the Royal Geographical Society, London, United Kingdom.
DATE:
27th April 2006
ARTICLE CONTENT:
In the legendary Council Chamber of the Royal Geographical Society, Kensington Gore, the Norwegian Embassy in London and IK Foundation & Company, together with its author, Mr Dag Hagenæs Kjelldahl, presented his book "Bear Island" - the story of an isolated arctic island - exploration, people, culture and natural history which forms the latest book in the series "Nordic Travellers".
Guests from learned societies within the disciplines of geography, the environment and polar research mingled with representatives from the London embassies of the Netherlands, Russia, Iceland and Sweden.
The book launch was introduced by Ms Birgitte Hygen, Secretary for Press and Culture at the Royal Norwegian Embassy, who welcomed everybody to this special day for Bear Island. In her introductory speech, entitled "The Norwegian Priority of the High North", Ms Hygen presented Norway's view of the importance of the arctic sea regions for the economy, the environment, and its natural and scientific status.
The Norwegian priority of the High North.
(Birgitte Hygen, Secretary for press and culture)
On behalf of IK Foundation and the Royal Norwegian Embassy it is a pleasure for me to invite you to the launch of Dag Hagenæs Kjelldahls book "Bear Island". This island in the Arctic Ocean is one of the most remote places on the planet. Not many people - not even Norwegians know much about it. It is therefore my hope that this book will contribute to increase the knowledge and the fascination for this truly remote Arctic destination. I would also like to thank the Royal Geographical Society for kindly letting us have this event in their beautiful locations.
Why is it important to look to the north? During the Second World War and the Cold War, the areas of and around Svalbard and Bjørnøya were of great strategic importance. During the Cold War the High North was where the east met the west, the Warsaw Pact met NATO and where the iron curtain stopped. It was a priority for both the western powers as well as the eastern to maintain a strict control of the east-west border, to uphold the balance of power and to maintain military control.
Soon after the fall of the Soviet Union, Norway initiated an institutionalised cooperation with Russia as well as the other Nordic countries of the Barents region. This cooperation was based on the people-to-people interaction that had existed across the borders for many generations - and initiated a number of projects within culture, trade, transport, infrastructure and education. The Barents cooperation is today very much alive and expanding.
Again, the Northern Areas are a top priority for the Norwegian government. One third of mainland Norway stretches north of the Arctic Circle. Norway's jurisdiction in the Arctic and Barents Seas covers an area 6 times the size of mainland Norway. So no wonder why the northern areas are important to Norway. But it is not a home affairs issue, the High North is of global importance.
Let me briefly outline the main priorities of the government's High North policies and why they are important:
1: Today Norway is the second largest exporter of gas to Europe and the world's third largest exporter of oil. Next year we will be providing British households by 25% of their total gas supplies through the Ormen Lange pipeline.
Opening up the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea for oil exploitation depends on careful assessment of the environmental risks; it must be based on stringent environmental standards with the most advanced technologies. One must make sure to preserve the valuable ecosystems, habitats, species of the Arctic wilderness, and also the rights of the local and indigenous peoples.
In times of increased political instability and terrorist threats, it is also important to strive towards secure and predictable energy deliveries.
2: Norway's policies are based on the principle of sustainable management and harvesting. Fishing is an important focus area. We have to ensure that the fishing in the Barents Sea is done in a sustainable manner, that we put an end to the vast amount of illegal fishing and the overexploitation of stocks.
3: The environmental concerns and global warming. The consequences of climate change in the Arctic will be dramatic and have vast impacts on the natural environment, animals, infrastructure and the indigenous peoples, but the melting of the ice of the Arctic could also have potentially lethal global implications. The Norwegian government's top priority is to fulfil our Kyoto commitments, and will work hard to influence other nations to follow suit.
4: As we know, the Arctic is an invaluable area for scientific research and knowledge. An example of this priority is yesterday's opening of a new research centre in Longyearbyen by the Norwegian King and Queen. The Norwegian government will further seek to integrate science and indigenous traditional knowledge. We believe that in this way we can reach improved management, policy and decision-making in the north.
Importantly - all of these priorities cannot be set by the Norwegians alone - international cooperation is of vital importance if we are to reach our aims. I have already mentioned the Barents Cooperation - we also cooperate with our neighbouring countries, including Russia, in other regional organisations like the Arctic Council, as well as with the EU. We have also bilateral dialogues with several European countries, Russia and the US on the common challenges we face in the High North.
To conclude: The aim is to secure the Northern Areas as a region of stability, prosperity and high environmental standards. Norway will take seriously the obligations that stem from our sovereignty of these areas and make our long-term contribution to cooperation, stability and predictability in the region.
The author, Mr Dag Hagenæs Kjelldahl, then went on to present a paper on his experiences on Bear Island, and on the cross-disciplinary research with which he had been involved in recent years. Besides having a totally unique cultural and natural history, Bear Island is, argues Kjelldahl, a sensitive place in a very much exposed area where further prospecting for oil and gas, and not least the transporting of these, may have a serious impact on the fragile stocks of fish and birds of the region. He hopes his book will play a significant role in understanding the cultural and natural history of the region.
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