At the May 2013 Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna, Sweden, Ministers from the eight Arctic Council states established a “Task Force to facilitate the creation of a circumpolar business forum.” That Task Force met on 4-5 December in 2013 in Helsinki, where it selected a new name – the Arctic Economic Council – and advanced its work on the scope and mandate of the proposed new organization.

The Kiruna Declaration, The Arctic Council’s Vision for the Arctic, and the Kiruna Senior Arctic Officials’ Report to Ministers were approved by the Arctic Ministers in Kiruna 15 May 2013. The documents have now been formatted and illustrated with photos from the Arctic. These new versions are available for download from the website and in hard copy from the Arctic Council Secretariat.

A recent paper in the journal Nature on the potential costs to the global economy of methane release in the Arctic garnered many headlines and ignited significant debate on this important environmental issue. Short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon, ozone, and methane contribute to global warming. Sustained reductions in short-lived climate pollutants can help slow the rate of warming, globally and in sensitive regions such as the Arctic.

During the week of 10-14 June, 2013, the Arctic Council’s Working Group on Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) convened three workshops in Reykjavík, Iceland to advance work as directed by the Arctic Council Ministers in Kiruna and outlined in PAME‘s 2013-2015 workplan.  

Obsolete pesticides pose a risk to human health and the environment locally and globally. Many pesticides are found in the Arctic as a result of long-range transport in the atmosphere and water. The Arctic environment and indigenous peoples are often at greater risk of exposure to contaminants because of changing climate conditions and local dietary habits. An ACAP fact sheet on obsolete pesticides was approved at the Kiruna Ministerial 15 May 2013.

The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) working group has released the first ever comprehensive assessment of Arctic Ocean acidification. The assessment was approved at the Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna 15 May 2013. In the Kiruna declaration Ministers welcomed the assessment and also requested that Arctic States continue to take action on mitigation and adaptation as well as continue to monitor and assess the state of Arctic Ocean acidification.

The Arctic Ocean Acidification (AOA) assessment, approved at the Kiruna Ministerial Meeting 15 May 2013, is the latest report by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). The assessment reviews the current state of knowledge regarding ocean acidification from an Arctic perspective. Two short films have been prepared to present the content of the report in an accessible form.

Last week on the 19 June, His Majesty King Karl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden were on an official visit to Tromsø, Norway along with His Majesty King Harald V and Queen Sonja. The royal visit program included a briefing on climate change in the Arctic, the ongoing work of the Arctic Council, and acidification of the Arctic Ocean.

The Arctic Resilience Interim Report released on 15 May, finds that rapid – even abrupt – changes are occurring on multiple fronts across the Arctic, raising the risk of crossing thresholds that would cause irreversible changes to ecosystems, environmental processes, and societies. The report marks the half-way point in the project that aims to identify critical thresholds and sources of resilience in the face of environmental and social pressures.

During the Kiruna Ministerial Meeting 15 May Arctic Ministers signed the Kiruna Declaration, Vision for the Arctic, Senior Arctic Officials Report to Ministers, and an Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic. In addition, several scientific assessments and reports by the working groups, task forces, and expert groups of the Arctic Council were also approved.

Photos from the Ministerial Meeting 15 May are available for non-commercial use from the Arctic Council Secretariat Flickr account, as well as the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs photo archive. Credit must be given in order to use the photos.

Ministers from the eight Arctic states and representatives of the Arctic Indigenous Peoples met today in Kiruna at the conclusion of Sweden’s two-year Chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

On 15 May 2013 the Arctic Council will hold its biennial Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna in the north of Sweden. Media are invited to a web cast press briefing with the Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials on 6 May.

Kiruna offers a perfect setting for a relaxing break between the hectic days around the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting. If you are a fan of unique nature, speed and challenges, you might like to climb up to the Luossa fell or race through the woods in a dogsled. Kiruna Delegates should book their excursions now since the first booking deadline is Friday 3 May.

14-15 May the Arctic Council will hold its biennial Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna in northern Sweden. Press accreditation for the meeting is now closed. It will also be possible to follow the meeting via webcast on the Arctic Council homepage. More details will be available soon.

The Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting will be held 15 May in the small town in Swedish Lapland. The venue is special not only for its beautiful nature, but also for its exceptional future: in a few years the whole town will be moved to a new location a few kilometers away.