Between climate change and capitalism: a legal perspective of the policies of Russia in the Arctic area and the impact on indigenous peoples

Abstract

This postgraduate thesis examines the interconnectedness of capitalism with the climate change emerging in the Arctic Circle. The impact of global warming and climate change in the Arctic demand direct handling, thus challenging the current legal framework of the Arctic area. The legal status of the region is considered a controversial matter for international law and a field of protracted negotiations. The primary and more compelling issue discussed is the so-called ‘Arctic paradox’, which means that States have gained access to new resources through the use of fossil fuels; and this constitutes a real dilemma for the Arctic states and the international community. Hence, the Arctic emerges as a socioeconomic laboratory of the ‘Antropocene’ epoch. The Russian Federation is the leader and the main stakeholder in the Arctic area. This country has the longest Arctic coastline, the largest oil and gas deposits and the most ambitious claims on the Arctic continental shelf. Consequently, the Arctic strategy of Russia is focused on sovereignty and the two economic perspectives of development in the region, which are oil and gas exploitation and the opening of the Northern Sea Route. This thesis reviews the central forces behind Russia’s policy and its variations during the warming of the Arctic. Indigenous peoples of the Russian North historically inhabit the Arctic as nomadic groups. Their culture, their ancestral land, their linkages with nature and in general their whole ecosystem are being threatened by the climate change in the Arctic, which is deteriorating faster than predicted. Both the industrial development and the opening of the new shipping route, as the main aims of the Russian strategy, will challenge the survival of the various groups of indigenous peoples. In order to deal with the challenges introduced by climate change, indigenous peoples must be recognized as the only authorized stakeholders of the region. Their empowerment and their participation to every step of the decision-making processes through the recognition of their legal status and the operation of non-state actors and NGOs are examined. Various indicators are analyzed that could promote a balanced regional development, accounting for the environment, economy, social needs and adaption of indigenous peoples.