Posted on August, 21 2010

Canada has announced a new arctic foreign policy which contains several encouraging signs for the future of governance in the Arctic.

The policy reflects WWF’s position that climate change in the Arctic has brought a need for new binding international rules on issues such as shipping and oil and gas development. WWF hopes that Canada’s efforts to make the Arctic Council a more powerful tool for setting binding arctic policies are successful.

WWF also notes with approval the commitment to not only use ecosystem-based management in Canada’s Arctic, but to also promote that management system to other arctic countries.

Finally, WWF notes the commitment to addressing the pressing problem of climate change in the Arctic, and hope to see more detail on how Canada will do its share to ensure that powerful climate feedbacks from the Arctic do not further destabilize global climate systems.

More information on WWF’s recommendations regarding arctic governance is available in our International Governance and Regulation of the Marine Arctic report [pdf download, 1.99 MB], and in other materials available on the WWF Arctic Initiative website.

Further information:
Clive Tesar
Head of Communications
WWF Arctic Initiative
Phone: (+1) 613 232 2535
Mobile: (+1) 613 883 3110