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June
3, 2005
Greenland benefits from closer U.S. ties
SIKU CIRCUMPOLAR NEWS
The Igaliku Agreement signed last August between the United States, Denmark
and Greenland is producing results- for the U.S. The deal means the upgrade
of the Thule Air Force Base in northern Greenland into a missile defence radar
hub moves ahead.
For Greenland, the deal hasn't meant direct cash compensation - but it is already
offering Greenland new connections with the U.S.
The U.S.-Denmark-Greenland Joint Committee, which was formed after the deal
was signed to promote cooperation, met May 18 to 20 in Washington.
A State Department Fact Sheet issued after the meeting says cooperation has
advanced considerably and is already producing "significant results with
programs, projects, and partnerships across many agencies."
Some examples of results include the following:
- Bringing Greenland's culture to the U.S.: The National Museum of Natural
History at the Smithsonian Institution hosted the largest Greenland cultural
program ever held in the United States;
- Climate Change: Research cooperation and a policy dialogue have been improved;
- Science/Energy: An agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey, Greenland
Home Rule Government, and Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland concerning
energy and scientific cooperation is being finalized;
- Environmental Site Surveys: Logistical cooperation on remote environmental
site surveys and scientific research projects is starting;
- National Park Cooperation: U.S. officials are sharing their park and wildlife
management experience with their Greenland counterparts;
- Education: Youth exchange programs are being promoted and expanded;
- English Language Programs: The visit of an English Language Specialist
to Greenland laid the foundation for cooperation on English Language programs;
- Telemedicine: Alaskan experts are sharing their telemedicine expertise
to help Greenland address medical needs in remote areas;
- Science and Education: Denmark has 10 million Danish Kroner (US$1.7 million)
to support natural science research in North East Greenland. Greenland schools
will join a science education program and are being linked with U.S. scientific
projects. A U.S. scientist will work with the Greenland Institute of Natural
Resources for two years;
- Mapping of Greenland: A framework for mapping cooperation has been established,
including training opportunities and map exchanges;
- Cultural Cooperation: The Nuuk American Corner librarian received specialized
training to boost educational and cultural ties. The U.S. Congress has appropriated
US$100,000 to support Inuit Youth;
- Arctic Construction: Alaskan expertise helped make a Housing Symposium
in Sisimiut, Greenland, on energy-efficient construction a success.
- Survey of Species: The first survey of species in North Star Bay in northwestern
Greenland was completed and shared;
- Trade and Tourism: The Joint Committee launched a trade and tourism working
group and over 20 groups from Greenland participated in Greenland's biggest
trade event ever abroad and in the U.S.
June
3, 2005
Finnmark Act approved in Norway
Justice Minister Odd Einar Dørum and Saami parliament president Sven-Roald
Nystø signed the Finnmark Act this week in Karasjok, Norway. The Norwegian
Finnmark Law gives up Norway's ownership over an area comparable with the size
of Denmark.
The area, which today is 96 per cent owned by the state, will from 2007 be
transferred to a new institution, which is governed by the three representatives
of the Saami Parliament, the Samidiggi, and three representatives of the northern
counties.
The law has been in the works for the last 30 years. The sitting Norwegian
government reached a compromise on the law with the opposition Labour Party.
June
3, 2005
Floods wreak havoc in Finland and Alaska
SIKU CIRCUMPOLAR NEWS
The worst spring flooding in years affected dozens of homes last week in Finnish
Lapland.
In the eastern community of Ivalo, the river Ivalojoki overflowed its banks.
Flood barriers erected 20 years ago kept the centre of Ivalo dry, but several
roads and four residential areas were cut off by the rising water.
What is unusual about the flooding is that pack ice is not a factor.
Last week, residents in one part of Ivalo were urged to leave their homes and
about 20 residents of a facility for the elderly were evacuated as a precaution.
The flood barriers - between two and three metres high - held back the rising
waters, but at one point the water level was just ten centimetres below the
edge of the barrier.
Meanwhile, in Husila, Alaska, flood waters gobbled up Front Street, threatening
power poles and driving families to higher ground.
"It's scary. Each day you wake up and look at the bank to see how much
fell away," Tim Pavlick told the Anchorage Daily News.
Winter food caches and smokehouses have been torn down or moved. After Front
Street washed away, unused water and sewer pipes were left dangling from the
bank.
Like many villages in Alaska, Husila has a history of relocating due to floods.
The first settlement lasted less than 30 years before it moved to the present
site in 1949.
June
3, 2005
Booze costs Norway a million working days
A new study hints that alcohol consumption may be costing the Norwegian society
well over a million lost working days a year.
Researcher Roar Gjelsvik told the Aftenposten newspaper that while most people
enjoy a drink without negative side effects, some miss work or perform in impaired
fashion.
Gjelsvik estimates the number of lost working days linked to alcohol consumption
ranges from 1.2 to 1.3 million a year. This loss of productivity costs the country
about $300 million a year.
Hard figures are not easy to come by since absences related to alcohol are
often disguised as being due to more acceptable reasons.
"It is however completely clear that absences and costs due to alcohol
are high and that there is a notable potential for improvement," Gjelsvik
said.
Previous studies showed that alcohol primarily results in short-term absences.
Between 44 to 59 per cent of absences last only one day, but between 14 to 19
per cent last up to three days and two per cent of long-term absences are due
to alcohol abuse.
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