Arctic Encounter Symposium

Monday, April 17, 2017

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On April 13th and 14th, 2017, the 4th annual Arctic Encounter Symposium took place in Seattle, Washington.

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Rachel Kallander, Founder & Executive Director, Arctic Encounter Symposium

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Aleqa Hammond, former Primer minister of Greenland

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Plenary session: Shifting Geo-Politics in the Far North. From left to right: From left to right: Shannon Jenkins, Commodore Angus Topshee, Ambassador of Norway, Kare R. Aas, and Gen. Randy "Church" Kee.

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Performance by Elle Márjá Eira

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Performance by Byron Nicholai

This year, the conference attracted more than 200 participants from six Arctic countries. Members of the scientific community, government agencies and representatives of foreign governments, and of local and indigenous communities were present to discuss the impact of climate change on the territory and on the people of the Arctic. Temperatures are increasing twice as fast as the world average in this territory, leading to a decline in the sea ice cover and permafrost thaw. The consequences are felt in infrastructure, ecosystems, commerce, and geopolitical relations. Participants also had the opportunity to attend traditional music performances by Byron Nicholai of Toksook Bay, Alaska, and Elle Márjá Eira, of Sápmi, Norway.