About six months ago, I reported that I had submitted written evidence to a Parliamentary inquiry on the UK and the Arctic environment.  The House of Commons Environmental Sub-Committee on the Arctic Environment has now published its report.

In general, the report calls for greater UK engagement with Arctic international affairs, including support for the Arctic Council, whose diplomatic and technical work is still paused in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  On that point, I was pleased to see that the Sub-Committee specifically cited my written evidence on the critical importance of the Arctic Council as a platform for Arctic Indigenous peoples (p 34).  As I wrote in my evidence, the Arctic is first and foremost a homeland, not a wilderness, and a vital part of the human community.

I was disappointed, however, that the Sub-Committee made nothing of my suggestion that education can play an significant role in the UK’s engagement with the Arctic and its communities.  By contrast, the UK’s world-leading Arctic scientific research receives a great deal of attention—and very rightly so.  But that research itself isn’t enough.  As I wrote in my evidence:

…the Sub-Committee pointed out that ‘Northern Shetland is closer to the Arctic than it is to London, and the UK has always had more extensive Arctic interests than are sometimes acknowledged’.  I suggest that an important part of the reason that the UK’s deep connections to the Arctic remain unacknowledged is a lack of awareness about them.  It is education’s role to promote that awareness, especially within the context of a broader understanding of the Arctic as a critical part of both the planetary climate system and the global human community. This understanding must include at its heart an understanding of the Arctic as a homeland, and a respect for Arctic peoples, their interests and their rights.

You can download a full copy of my written evidence from the UK Parliament website.