Abstract

Senior Researcher, Nordland Research Institute

This presentation highlights main findings from my PhD work on how shipping development in the Arctic affects coastal indigenous and non-indigenous communities. Arctic shipping, which comprises all types of vessels operating in the Arctic waters, has historically been covering transportation and supply needs. The recent Arctic shipping growth has been influenced by the interplay of multiple changes in the socio-economic, geopolitical, environmental, and climatic conditions. This increase brings new risks and opportunities to the region and have many cascading impacts on coastal communities. To understand this connection, I applied an analytical framework of adaptation and adaptive capacity. During my talk I will present the impacts of shipping growth, illuminate the aspects of adaptive capacity, and describe local adaptive responses. I will reflect on why and how the same type of impact may receive different interpretations and describe the role of the community agency – the community’s ability to act –for the development of adaptive responses.