Ávarp umhverfis-, orku- og loftslagsráðherra á Hringborði Norðurslóða, The Third Pole Process, Plenary

One of the most repeated phrases in discussions about the Arctic is: „What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic.“ What we mean is that changes in the Arctic will affect others. Indeed, it will affect all of humanity.

The Arctic is not a closed system in a part of the globe that most people see as a remote region. The Arctic is sounding a warning bell for the rest of the globe, as warming is three to four times faster in the High North than elsewhere. The opening of sea lanes across the North Pole can have profound changes. The melting of the Greenland ice cap will affect coastal areas everywhere; from the harbour outside this conference hall to Florida and Bangladesh. This is why the Arctic Circle conference and forums attract not only participants from the region, but a truly global audience.

The Arctic is a key component of what scientists call the Earth‘s cryosphere – the frozen realm of our planet. Antarctica, the vast ice continent, is another. Then we have the Third Pole, as many call the region where the Himalayas and other massive mountain chains touch the sky at the heart of Asia.

The name is apt. The Third Pole is home to thousands of glaciers, and shows up often as a huge white spot in satellite pictures of Planet Earth. As at the other poles, ice and permafrost is retreating. Like the Arctic, the region is home to remarkable cultures, that have adapted to an environment considered hostile to many outsiders. And just like in the Arctic, what happens on the Third Pole does not stay in the Third Pole.

The glaciers and snows in the Third Pole region feed some of the world‘s mightiest and most important rivers. Here we have the water towers of Asia, which a large part of humanity depends on for drinking water, irrigation, food production and other uses. Big natural changes in the Third Pole can have huge impacts directly on hundreds of millions of people. Indirectly, such changes will have a global impact.

Why are we highlighting the Third Pole here at the Arctic Circle assembly? In part because we have much in common regarding the physical environment. The two regions have their fair share of ice and snow. Both are feeling acutely the impact of climate change. But then we have the human dimension. We who live in the two regions – around the North Pole and on and around the roof of Asia – can learn from each other; about the challenges we face and the solutions we must find.

In the Arctic, the lines of communication have often been aligned north-south – between centre and periphery – rather than north-north, between people and communities in the region. This has changed. The Arctic discourse now takes place in various forums: in scientific bodies, in the Arctic Council, and here in the Arctic Circle, among other venues. It is richer and more inclusive than before. It has clearly helped to build bridges and to find solutions. Of course, we have a difficult time right now within the Arctic Council. But this is due to events outside the Arctic, that have an impact on the Arctic, and indeed the global, political discourse at the present time. I think the story of Arctic diplomacy and cooperation across borders has many lessons, including for the Third Pole process.

Before the Arctic Council was established, we had set up scientific cooperation across borders, to study and monitor changes in our region. This work produced some stellar outcomes. We received a groundbreaking report, that alerted the world that certain pollutants were endangering mammals and humans in the Arctic, even if they were released half a world away. This helped to bolster support for international agreements to halt pollution. Then the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment arrived, one of the first big studies that showed that climate change was already here, and was having a serious impact. This scientific collaboration paved the way for a more general cooperation at a political level. I think the Arctic experience should be of interest for others, including the countries and other partners involved in the Third Pole process.

We should and must continue to build bridges; between science and policy, between business and governments and civil society, between nations, between regions. I am happy to see this session on the Third Pole here in Harpa today, and I wish all of us a fruitful discussion, now and in the future.

Thank you,