Old Sea, New Ice? Arctic Ocean Governance and Sea Ice Geoengineering

This presentation explores the interplay between Arctic sea ice governance, geoengineering, and the rights of Indigenous peoples. It raises critical questions about the feasibility of regulating potential sea ice geoengineering initiatives while upholding Indigenous rights. Using insights from different disciplines, this presentation investigates diverse perspectives on Arctic sea ice encompassing its roles in climate science, international law, and for Arctic Indigenous peoples, contributing to ongoing discussions on implementing Indigenous rights within Arctic governance and emerging climate technologies. As climate interventions are becoming a likely reality, the presentation emphasizes the imperative of integrating marine geoengineering responses to climate change into global ocean law and governance, with a specific focus on climate justice and the active involvement of Indigenous and local communities in the decision-making process. It explores whether the conceptualization of geo-engineered sea ice as a resource and looking at existing international legal frameworks governing resource extraction could enhance the effective implementation of Indigenous rights. This presentation contends that there is an urgent need to develop an oceanic ethics component that considers Indigenous rights in the context of geoengineering, and advocates for nature-centric visions, Indigenous-led climate actions, and community-level marine resource management within international legal frameworks to strike a balance between the rights-based approach and emerging climate intervention technologies.

Romain Chuffart is an Adjunct at the Faculty of Law, University of Akureyri. He is currently finishing his PhD in law with Durham University (United Kingdom) focusing on Indigenous rights and agency in Arctic environmental governance. Romain is also the President and Managing Director of The Arctic Institute – Center for Circumpolar Security Studies, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in Washington D.C, U.S.A.

The lecture will be in English.