Executive Summary - Security and Affordability for a Resilient North ArcticEnergySm

Attendees came away from the Summit with stronger relationships with colleagues in the Arctic region and a greater understanding of the complexity of the issues; the nexus between renewable and non-renewable energy resource development; and community heat, power, and efficiency. [...] The development of the Arctic must therefore balance the application of energy resources with the external and internal needs of the communities of the north – with the goal of using Arctic energy resources for the benefit of all northern residents. [...] The Arctic is abundant in energy resources – from oil and gas to wind, solar, hydrokinetic and geothermal – yet residents of the Arctic pay some of the highest energy prices in the world. [...] These factors become more complex in that there is the reality of winter darkness, the fact that extreme and unexpected Arctic weather happens at all times of the year, and the presence of seasonal and other forms of ice will continue into the future. [...] Though the Oil Spill Agreement acknowledges the threat of oil pollution to the livelihoods of local and indigenous communities, the agreement is among the eight Arctic states and does not directly include the participation of local communities (the agreement is guided on the assumptions of traditional Westphalian law).