Arctic Futures Initiative News


17 February 2020
Systems analysis for a new Arctic

A major new IIASA report highlights new and emerging policy trends in the Arctic, a region on the front lines of climate change, geopolitics, and global governance.  More

24 June 2019
Blog posts: Arctic Super Week in May 2019 and Calotte Academy

Blog posts by Lassi Heininen in Pan-Eurasian Experiment Arctic-Boreal Hub PEEX Blog.  More

10 April 2019
Northern Dimension Institute Think Tank

IIASA-AFI is partner in a new project consortium for developing a regional think tank in the Northern Dimension area. The aim is to enhance evidence-based policy-making as well as improve policy relevance of research conducted in the region.  More

22 November 2018
Nurturing cooperation, preservation, and prosperity in the Arctic

Options Winter 2018/19: The vast 15 million square kilometer territory surrounding the North Pole commonly referred to as “the Arctic” may seem to be remote and intangible, but what happens there affects us all.  More

19 October 2018
The Third Pole as Complex Socio-Ecological System – Sustainability and Resilience. AFI/IIASA Breakout Session at the Arctic Circle Assembly, Reykjavik, Iceland

The Third Pole region (Hindu-Kush, Pamir, Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau) is a global hotspot region characterized by high levels of geological, ecological and socio-cultural diversities, providing critical life-supporting resources and ecosystem services to two billion people. The Arctic Futures Initiative (AFI) and the Third Pole Environment (TPE) co-organized a breakout session in Reykjavik, the first session organized on the Third Pole region at the Arctic Circle Assembly.  More

19 October 2018
The Arctic Futures Initiative at the Sixth Arctic Circle Assembly 19-21 Ocotber 2018, Harpa Conference Center, Reykjavik, Iceland

The Arctic Circleis the largest network of international dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic. IIASA partnered with the Arctic Circle on AFI in the Arctic Circle Assembly 2017 and held three breakout sessions during the Assembly 2018: 1) Interplay Between Science, Politics and Business, 2) Foreseen Ecological and Socio-Economic Impacts and Feedbacks, 3) Third Pole as Complex Socio-Ecological System.  More

09 October 2018
Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018, Rovaniemi, Finland

Mia Landauer (RISK and AFI) participated the Arctic Biodiversity Congress 2018 on October 12th in Rovaniemi, Finland  More

17 September 2018
Paris climate targets could be exceeded sooner than expected

A new study has for the first time comprehensively accounted for permafrost carbon release when estimating emission budgets for climate targets. The results show that the world might be closer to exceeding the budget for the long-term target of the Paris climate agreement than previously thought.  More

28 June 2018
Lecture by Mark R. Petersen on Ocean Modeling in the High Desert.

Lecture by Mark Roger Petersen on 28 June 2018, 11:00-12:00 in the Raiffa room.  More

26 May 2018
Shanghai Forum 26-28 May 2018

Shanghai Forum, launched in 2005, is known as one of the most famous international forums held in Shanghai. Co-hosted by Fudan University and Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, undertaken by Fudan Development Institute (FDDI), the Forum is a non-governmental and non-profit academic organization, which holds an annual symposium each May in Shanghai. Shanghai Forum 2018 will be held from May 26 to May 28, 2018 in Shanghai. The theme is “Asia’s Responsibilities in A World of Change”  More

11 April 2018
Northern Dimension Institute

The Northern Dimension (ND) is a joint policy of the EU, Russia, Norway and Iceland based on dialogue and practical, result-oriented cooperation between the four partners. The transnational approach of the ND allows the countries and regions in the ND area to tackle joint challenges more efficiently in a variety of sectors, including the environment, nuclear safety, health, energy, transport, logistics, research, education and culture.  More

12 March 2018
Lecture by Prof. Lassi Heininen at Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Dr. Lassi Heininen, Professor at University of Lapland and Senior Research Scholar (associate) at IIASA, lectured at Masaryk University in Brno, the Czech Republic on March 12, 2018. The lecture was titled “Actors in Global Politics”, and it was a part of the “Global Politics” BA course for group of Czech and foreign students.  More

15 January 2018
ISAR-5 Fifth International Symposium on Arctic Research, Tokyo, Japan

The fifth ISAR has been planned at the recommendation of the science steering committee of ISAR-4, which was held in Toyama, Japan in April 2015. The fifth ISAR will be devoted to discussions on environmental changes in the Arctic and their regional and global implications, to seek additional international scientific collaboration in this area by gathering, synthesizing and sharing information related to these changes occurring in the Arctic. Special emphasis will be placed on the fields of the social sciences and humanities, which were not included in the previous ISARs.  More

01 January 2018
Building a Coalition: Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation (GIB)

AFI is building a coalition of partnerships with institutes, organizations, projects, and programs. Here we feature the Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) Foundation.  More

17 October 2017
Arctic Futures Initiative partners with Arctic Circle

The IIASA-led Arctic Futures Initiative (AFI) has entered into a unique partnership with the Arctic Circle. This alliance combines the expertise of IIASA, a world leader in systems analysis, with the convening power of the Arctic Circle, the largest network of international dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic.  More

15 June 2017
AFI represented at European Union meeting

European Commission and EU External Action together with the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-hosted a high-level joint event in Oulu, Finland, on June 15-16, 2017 on integrated European Union policy for the Arctic "A Sustainable Arctic - Innovative Approaches".  More

14 June 2017
2nd Top of the World Arctic Broadband Summit under the auspices of the Arctic Economic Council and the City of Oulu

Based on the success of the First Top of the World Arctic Broadband Summit in 2016, the Arctic Economic Council (AEC) decided to organize the Second Arctic Broadband Summit together with the City of Oulu, 14-15 June 2017. Arctic Futures Initiative (AFI) Core Group member, President and CEO of Arctia Ltd Tero Vauraste is Chair of AEC.  More

08 June 2017
ICASS IX, International Congress on Arctic Social Sciences

The Ninth International Congress on Arctic Social Sciences “People & Place” (ICASS IX)  More

31 March 2017
The Arctic Science Summit week 2017

The Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) is an annual meeting of national and international organizations focusing on Arctic research and exploitation, including academia, government agencies, local communities, industry, non-governmental organizations and others.This year, the conference theme was “A dynamic Arctic in Global Change” and the conference was held in Prague, Czech Republic.  More

08 March 2017
WMO and the Arctic Futures Initiative

Ambassador Hannu Halinen, Special Advisor to the IIASA Director General and CEO, met with Prof. Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation at the WMO Headquarters in Geneva. The Arctic is one of the priority areas in WMO's work. The Secretary-General is interested to collaborate with IIASA on the Arctic Futures Initiative project.  More

01 November 2016
Telling the story of the changing Arctic through theatre

The Arctic Futures Initiative will collaborate with playwright and research artist Chantal Bilodeau on developing work at the intersection of art and science that promotes a deeper understanding of changes in the Arctic, their impact on human and non-human lives, and how, ultimately, it connects us all.  More

12 September 2016
IIASA Arctic Futures Initiative represented at the 1st UArctic Congress

IIASA Research Scholar affiliated with the Arctic Futures Initiative broadened the AFI Russian network at historical UArctic Congress that took place in St. Petersburg, Russia.  More

21 July 2016
Planning for collaboration in Sochi

The Geophysical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Arctic Futures Initiative co-organized a workshop on “Interdisciplinary scientific collaboration towards sustainable Arctic” on 21 July 2016. The workshop was organized in connection to the International Conference “Data Intensive System Analysis for Geohazard Studies” (http://sochi2016.gcras.ru/) that took place in the Sochi Mountain cluster 18-21 July 2016.  More

06 June 2016
The White House Arctic Science Ministerial

The White House Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM), taking place on September 28, 2016, will aim to foster international scientific collaboration to help guide the future of the Arctic.  More

26 May 2016
Arctic Futures Initiative collaboration with Arctic indigenous peoples

An important element of AFI’s inclusive approach is communication and collaboration with Arctic residents and indigenous communities. In the beginning of this year, AFI team had two opportunities to communicate with indigenous peoples and get their feedback on the Initiative.  More

18 November 2015
Arctic Futures Initiative and the Arctic Council Chairmanships

AFI representative Dr. Anni Reissell attended a closed roundtable meeting on the upcoming AC Finnish Chairmanship (2017-2019) organized by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland.  More

02 June 2014
Scenarios for a changing Arctic

IIASA’s new Arctic Futures Initiative explores the future of the Arctic region in all its dimensions. The initiative launched last week with an expert workshop and a policy-oriented special session in Laxenburg.  More

20 May 2013
The future of the Arctic

IIASA researchers and Finnish policymakers and scientists met on 16 and 17 May, 2013 to outline a new research agenda addressing the challenges facing the Arctic region.  More

01 January 1970
IIASA Arctic Futures Initiative (AFI) - Meetings in Washington DC with U.S. Arctic policy representatives

Special Advisor to the IIASA Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Ambassador Hannu Halinen, co-chair of the Arctic Futures Initiative (AFI) and IIASA Guest Research Scholar Anni Reissell visited Washington DC on 14-18 June 2015 in connection to the Arctic Council’s Executive Senior Arctic Official (SAO) meeting. Several meetings took place as satellite meetings to the main meeting.  More

01 January 1970
The European Union Study Week in Russia - AFI representative interviewed

In a series of more than 60 events in Russia, an autumn seminar The European Study Week was held in Vyborg, 30 Russian undergraduate and postgraduate students as participants, with the overall objective to provide first-hand information on the situation in the EU.  More

IIASA and the Arctic

Features and news articles on IIASA research related to the Arctic.

IIASA Arctic Futures Initiative (AFI) - Meetings in Washington DC with U.S. Arctic policy representatives

Special Advisor to the IIASA Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Ambassador Hannu Halinen, co-chair of the Arctic Futures Initiative (AFI) and IIASA Guest Research Scholar Anni Reissell visited Washington DC on 14-18 June 2015  in connection to the Arctic Council’s Executive Senior Arctic Official (SAO) meeting. Several meetings took place as satellite meetings to the main meeting. More

Clearing the Arctic air

December 2013. Options Magazine, Winter 2013/2014  An IIASA study combines experiments and modeling with practical action to help cut pollution that is contributing to a warmer Arctic More

World Bank Report: Cutting pollution could slow Arctic warming

IIASA researchers contributed to a new joint report from the World Bank and the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, which lays out measures for reducing pollution that could help slow warming in the Arctic, while also improving health worldwide. More

Gas flaring and household stoves speed Arctic thaw

Gas flaring by the oil industry and smoke from residential burning contributes more black carbon pollution to Arctic than previously thought—potentially speeding the melting of Arctic sea ice and contributing to the fast rate of warming in the region. More

Slowing the Arctic thaw

Cutting emissions of short-lived pollutants like black carbon and methane is feasible and could help to slow the warming of the Arctic, according to IIASA research. More


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Last edited: 26 June 2019

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