Gender equality for a thriving, sustainable arctic

On 21 May 2021, a milestone Pan-Arctic Report: Gender Equality in the Arctic was published in tandem with the Arctic Council’s Ministerial Meeting held in Reykjavík, 19–20 May 2021. This article provides a brief review of the report and its major findings across six chapters that address key themes concerning gender equality in the Arctic: Law and Governance, Security, Gender and Environment, Migration and Mobility, Indigeneity, Gender, Violence, Reconciliation and Empowerment and Fate Control. A major conclusion of the report is that accessible, comparable, gender-disaggregated, and Arctic -specific data is severely lacking. Further, all chapters highlight the importance of gender-based analysis and gender mainstreaming in all decision-making processes at national and regional levels. The varying roles that gender—and its intersections with existing inequalities—plays in mediating the impacts of climate change and other socioeconomic transformations are also discussed throughout the report. The Arctic Council is identified as the main driver for implementing recommendations that were provided and discussed at the Council’s Ministerial Meeting and in the Reykjavík Declaration 2021, where the eight ministers of Arctic states “Emphasize[s] the importance of gender equality and respect for diversity for sustainable development in the Arctic… encourage[s] the mainstreaming of gender-based analysis in the work of the Arctic Council and call[s] for further action to advance gender equality in the Arctic”. This report and its policy relevant highlights, address these priorities and serve as a knowledge base for promoting gender equality and non-discrimination in the Arctic

Socio-cultural Values of Whales in Húsavík and their Implications for Social-ecological Resilience

This study examines socio-cultural values related to whale ecosystem services in Húsavík, Iceland in the context of social-ecological shifts, like climate change and globalization, that are rapidly taking place in and around the Arctic. Húsavík is a municipality in Northern Iceland whose economy has been influenced by whale watching in recent years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. The benefits for community members associated with whales and whale watching in Húsavík have significant resilience implications in light of Húsavík’s vulnerability to climate change and globalization. To enhance understanding of resilience in Húsavík, this study uses grounded theory based qualitative content analysis of interviews with community members to a elicit a list of socio-cultural values of whale ecosystem services. The economic, educational, and social contributions of whale ecosystem services to the community were especially valued by those interviewed. Analysis of these values in the context of Húsavík’s vulnerability reveals significant contributions of whale-related socio-cultural values to various components of social-ecological resilience within Húsavík, including: human capital, institutions and services, economy, diversity, and education. Socio-cultural values of whale ecosystem services could aid place-based local climate adaptation efforts in Húsavík by informing community assessments. These assessments provide local context for understanding adaptation in a given place, in part by articulating how and why people value various parts of their social-ecological system. Given the importance of whales to Húsavík, whale-related socio-cultural values can further this aspect of adaptation planning and help preserve resilience and adaptive capacity within Húsavík.Þessi rannsókn skoðar félags- og menningarleg gildi vistkerfaþjónustu hvala í Húsavík, í samhengi við sviptingar í félags- og vistkerfum, eins og loftslagsbreytingar og hnattvæðing, sem umbreyta nú svæðum innan og nálægt norðurheimskautinu hratt. Húsavík er byggðakjarni á Norðurlandi sem hefur reitt sig mjög á hvalaferðamennsku undanfarin ár, þangað til COVID-19 heimsfaraldurinn skall á. Kostirnir við hvalaferðamennsku hafa þýðingu fyrir samfélagsmeðlimi Húsavíkur í formi aukinnar seiglu í ljósi viðkvæmni Húsavíkur gagnvart loftslagsbreytingum og hnattvæðingu. Til þess að auðga skilning á seiglu í Húsavík var framkvæmd eigindleg rannsókn í formi viðtala við samfélagsmeðlimi sem síðan var unnið úr með kerfisbundinni aðferð grundaðra kenninga til þess að draga fram lista af félags- og menningarlegum gildum tengdum vistkerfaþjónustu hvala. Hagfræðilegt, mennta- og félagslegt framlag vistkerfaþjónustu hvala til samfélagsins var sérstaklega mikilvægt fyrir viðmælendur. Greining á þessum gildum í samhengi við viðkvæmni Húsavíkur skín ljósi á mikilvægi félags- og menningarlegra gilda hvala, og hvernig þau tengjast hinum ýmsu félags- og vistfræðilegum þáttum seiglu innan Húsavíkur, þar á meðal eru mannauður, stofnanir og þjónusta, atvinnulíf, fjölbreytni og menntun. Félags- og menningarleg gildi vistkerfaþjónustu hvala gætu hjálpað við staðbundna loftslagsaðlögun í Húsavík með auknum upplýsingum til samfélagsmats. Samfélagsmat gefur staðbundið samhengi til aukins skilnings á aðlögunarhæfni mismunandi staða, að hluta til með því að útskýra hvernig fólk metur mismunandi hluta af félags- og vistkerfum sinna. Með greiningu á hlutverki hvala í Húsavík geta félags og menningarleg gildi þeirra hjálpað til við að auka aðlögunarhæfni og seiglu í Húsavík