The Arctic This Week Take Five: Week of 1 December, 2025

Russia Terminates Rescue Cooperation Agreement for the Barents Region

As reported by the Barents Observers on November 28, the Russian Foreign Ministry has announced that Russia has formally withdrawn from a joint emergency response agreement with Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The agreement on Cooperation Within the Field of Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, and Response was part of the Barents cooperation, a set of multilateral partnerships between the four countries in the region. Since its signing in 2008, the agreement has facilitated cross-border rescue cooperation and nine joint rescue exercises. (The Barents Observer)

Take 1: Russia’s termination of the rescue cooperation agreement with Norway, Sweden, and Finland highlights the continued deterioration of Barents cooperation. Formed in 1993, the Barents cooperation has served as a useful political framework for the four countries to collaborate on critical regional challenges and promote people-to-people connections and exchanges. Therefore, theBarents cooperation has also been an important platform to engage with Russia, helping to normalize relations, enhance dialogue, and build confidence. However, Russia’s war in Ukraine has broken this developing trust and severely affected cross-border relations. Following the invasion, activities under the Barents cooperation involving Russia were suspended. Russia subsequently withdrew from the Barents Euro-Atlantic Council—the forum for intergovernmental cooperation in the region—in 2023, and Finland later announced that it intended to withdraw from the organization after 2025, stating that it was no longer an effective channel. As the last mechanism of the Barents cooperation that officially included Russia, the termination of the rescue cooperation agreement marks the formal end of Russia’s participation in the region’s institutions and solidifies that the Barents cooperation is no longer a meaningful framework for regional cooperation. While Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement makes the region less safe, the remaining participating countries should take new steps to strengthen cross-border emergency response efforts and mitigate potential risks. (Arctic Today, Government of Norway, High North News, Norwegian Barents Secretariat)

Arctic Council Continues “Plastic in a Bottle” Project

As reported by Eye on the Arctic on November 28, the Arctic Council’s Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) working group has launched two new “Plastic in a Bottle” capsules off the coast of Greenland, resulting in ten capsules now deployed since the project began in 2019. Equipped with GPS technology, the capsules transmit their location daily, and their trajectories can be viewed in real-time on PAME’s online map. The project aims to raise awareness about marine litter and provide data on how floating debris travels through Arctic waters by mimicking the drift of real plastic bottles. (Eye on the Arctic)

Take 2: Plastic pollution is a serious and growing concern for the Arctic marine environment. Despite its remote location, plastic debris can be found across the region’s beaches, waters, and sea ice. Winds and ocean currents carry these materials from both local and global sources, with the Arctic serving as the final destination for a significant amount of the world’s plastic pollution. The plastic found in the Arctic often begins as larger pieces of waste, particularly from fishing, marine tourism, shipping, offshore resource exploration, and poorly managed solid waste and wastewater facilities. These larger pieces of debris, such as plastic bags, netting, and packaging, can entangle wildlife, becoming a fatal hazard for many species. Over time, plastic waste also degrades into smaller and smaller pieces, where they are ingested by a range of Arctic animals. Plastics have already been observed in the stomachs of numerous species, potentially threatening the health and food security of the Indigenous communities that rely on them for subsistence. Moreover, microplastics can absorb and transfer other chemical and environmental pollutants that also accumulate through the food chain, posing further risks. Since plastics never fully break down, they are a persistent challenge to the Arctic’s inhabitants and ecosystem. By raising awareness and filling knowledge gaps, the newly deployed capsules are important tools that help strengthen efforts to address plastic pollution in the Arctic. (Arctic Council, Norwegian Polar Institute, World Wildlife Fund)

Deep-Sea Mining in Norway Remains Blocked Until 2029

As reported by Euronews on December 4, the Norwegian government has announced that it will delay issuing deep-sea mining licenses in the Arctic during the current legislative term, postponing the controversial practice until 2029. Norway’s governing Labour party agreed to these provisions following intense negotiations with the Socialist Left, Green, Red, and Center parties, in order to gain their support to pass the state budget. The parliament had approved the opening up of roughly 280,000 square meters of Norway’s northern waters for seabed mining last year. (Euronews)

Take 3: The government’s decision to halt the licensing of deep-sea mining until 2029 marks yet another successful attempt to prevent the mining of the Arctic seabed. In January 2024, Norway became the first country in the world to allow for deep-sea mining in its waters. Norwegian officials argued that extracting metals, minerals, and rare earth elements from the seafloor, which were recently discovered in large quantities in Norway’s northern waters, would strengthen the development of green technologies and reduce foreign dependence on critical raw materials. However, these plans have drawn widespread criticism due to the uncertain impacts of deep-sea mining and the potential risks to the Arctic’s sensitive environment. As one of the least explored ecosystems on the planet, the destructive and extractive processes of mining the seabed could severely harm the vast number of species that inhabit the deep sea. Mining operations could destroy habitats, emit noise pollution, and displace large amounts of sediment, causing catastrophic and lasting damage to the seabed and marine environment. Growing opposition ultimately led to the suspension of the inaugural seabed licensing round in December of last year, with the Socialist Left party forcing the decision in exchange for their support of the government’s budget. Thus, the recently announced delay extends previous efforts to block deep-sea mining in Norway’s north, helping preserve the Arctic and the ocean’s biodiversity. (Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, International Union for Conservation of Nature, London School of Economics and Political Science, Reuters)

Finnish Prime Minister Highlights Need to Apologize to the Sami

As reported by Yle News on December 4, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo has stated that Finland must issue an apology to the Sami for the historical and ongoing discrimination that they have faced. The comments were made following the release of the final report by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which included 70 recommendations on how Finland can repair its relations with the Sami people. The prime minister also commented that he plans to set up a parliamentary working group to consider how and when to issue the apology and ensure that it is comprehensive and respectful. (Yle News)

Take 4: The submission of the final report concludes the work of Finland’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but it also marks the beginning of efforts to improve relations and build trust with the roughly 10,000 Sami who reside in the country. Like the Sami in Norway, Sweden, and Russia, the Sami in Finland faced aggressive policies of assimilation rooted in racism. Historical colonial practices included the establishment of residential schools, forced conversion to Christianity, the desecration of cultural sites, and the suppression of Indigenous languages. While many of these traumatic policies have been abolished, discrimination and racism against the Sami remain pervasive in Finnish society. For instance, hate speech and harassment of the Sami continue to take place on social media, and tensions have intensified over the right to manage lands and resources. Tasked with uncovering the truth about these past and present violations, the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission provides vital information to understand Sami experiences and to guide future efforts to redress the harm done to them. The government should consider the recommendations in the final report seriously and fully support their successful implementation. While an official apology is a meaningful measure that symbolizes that the state takes responsibility for the atrocities committed, Finland must also take concrete measures to eradicate the structural causes of discrimination and correct past injustices. (Arctic Today, CBC News, Non-Discrimination Ombudsman of Finland, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights)

UK and Norway Sign Historic Defense Agreement

As reported by the Barents Observer on December 4, UK Defense Secretary John Healey and Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik have signed a new defense agreement enabling the navies of both countries to operate side-by-side in the North Atlantic. The bilateral agreement includes sharing maintenance facilities, technology, and equipment, collaboration on the development of new undersea warfare systems, and joint exercises and training. The partnership is aimed at protecting critical undersea infrastructure. (Barents Observer)

Take 5: The new defense agreement between the UK and Norway highlights the deepening of security ties between the two countries in the High North. The nations have had a long history of defense cooperation and shared interests, both bilaterally and in multilateral frameworks, such as NATO, the Joint Expeditionary Force, and the Northern Group. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the changing security situation in the Arctic have led to an even greater focus on the UK-Norway defense relationship. In recent years, the countries have concluded several defense agreements, including the establishment of an Arctic hub and forward operating base for British Royal Marines Commandos in Northern Norway, known as Camp Viking. The installation is central to the UK’s cold-weather warfare training, and its strategic location allows British forces to rapidly respond to protect NATO’s northern flank. The latest partnership builds on these previous efforts and further enhances Norwegian and British capabilities in the region. Most notably, the Royal Marines will train year-round in Norway, and both navies aim to develop a combined Norwegian-British frigate fleet that will operate seamlessly as one. These historic measures not only address critical vulnerabilities and emerging threats in the Arctic but also reinforce the ever-closer security relationship between the UK and Norway, which serves as an important anchor of NATO’s presence in the High North. (Government of Norway, High North News, The Defense Post)