The Arctic is sometimes described as the last frontier in the development of energy resources. The Institute of the North’s Arctic Energy Summit will explore energy as a fundamental element of the sustainable development of the Arctic as a lasting frontier. Central to this concept is how a focus on richness, resilience and responsibility will provide a pathway for sustainable energy development in the Arctic.
The Arctic’s energy resources – from oil and gas development to renewable resources such as geothermal, wind, hydro and tidal energy – have received increased attention. There has been little corresponding appreciation for how Arctic communities use energy resources and benefit from production of and access to affordable, accessible energy.
Building on the work done at the highly successful 2007 Arctic Energy Summit and Technology Conference, the 2013 Summit will address energy extraction, production and transmission in the Arctic as it relates to three thematic areas: richness, resilience and responsibility.
The interactive conference format will include:
- Keynote speeches
- Workshops
- Panel discussions
- Paper presentations
This interdisciplinary forum is for scholars, energy industry officials, scientists, academics, policy makers, energy professionals and community leaders who share an interest in—and concern for— sustainable development of the Arctic and its energy resources. To register, or for more
We welcome submissions that directly address the conference theme, and add substantively to the discussion of one or more of the following questions:
Richness
The USGS estimates that more than a quarter of the world’s yet-to-be-discovered oil and gas is in the Arctic. At the same time, geothermal, wind, tidal and hydro resources have the potential to lower the cost of living for northern communities and significantly impact domestic markets.
- What does this supply of resources mean for the prosperity of northern peoples?
- What new energy resources are being explored for or developed in the Arctic?
- How are northern communities enhancing their resource wealth with value-added activities?
- What role do impact benefit agreements, sovereign wealth funds and other revenue distribution mechanisms play in enhancing national, state, community or tribal prosperity when energy projects are being developed?
- How is resource wealth used to develop sustainable energy systems for local use?
Resilience
Adaptability is critical in the Arctic – peoples of the North have been managing change for millennia. Northern peoples and the environment must respond to rapid shifts in their natural and built environment. The companies doing business in the Arctic must also be innovative and responsive to changing political and environmental landscapes. New technology is guiding development of previously unreachable renewable and extractive energy resources and new shipping routes are ensuring that they can be moved to markets.
- What strategies are necessary for building social and ecological resilience?
- How do northern peoples maintain their rich cultures in times of immense economic and environmental change?
- What risks to resilience does the Arctic face in a time of rapid change and development?
- What resilience strategies developed for other remote areas can be adapted to the Arctic?
- How can the built environment in northern communities contribute to community resilience?
- How does new technology increase the lifespan of northern energy systems and extraction projects?
- How do nations and communities build resilience in the face of fluctuating energy prices?
- What technologies are making current resource development possible? What is needed to induce research and development of new technology?
- How does public policy incentivize investment in the infrastructure and technology needed for further resource development?
Responsibility
There are many actors in the Arctic, and an even greater number of different perspectives about each stakeholder’s rights and responsibilities. Of particular significance is how roles shift relative to local, national and international decision-making levels. Geographic scale, too, plays a critical part in defining responsibility.
- To what degree should Arctic energy resources be developed to meet a global demand?
- How do we approach energy development that meets the needs of the world, the environment, the people and a company’s bottom line?
- How does the world’s demand for energy resources influence public policy or create pressure to develop these resources in Arctic nations?
- Whose responsibility is oil spill prevention and response and how do we incorporate local, private and public assets? How do recent Arctic Council Agreements impact energy development?
- How can policy-making respond to different levels of concern and management capacity?
- What does corporate social responsibility mean for the energy industry in the Arctic?
- Which responsibilities are shared and what is the best way to reach agreement on those?
TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED
Abstracts may be submitted for any of the following:
Paper Presentations
Paper presentations will each be scheduled for a 15minutes presentation with 5 minutes for questions. Paper presentations can meet any one of the following formats:
– Original Research: has not been presented or published prior to this conference.
– Work in Progress: describe early research and novel skeleton ideas in the areas of the conference topics.
– New Ideas: dedicated to new ideas in their early stage. Contributions might refer to PhD dissertation, testing new approaches, provocative and innovative ideas, out-of-the-box, and out-of-the-book thinking that is related to conference topics. A “New Idea”contribution must be comprehensive, focused, and very well supported.
Accepted papers will receive further instructions for submission of full manuscripts and slide decks. Full submissions will be due on August 15th, 2013. At least one author of each paper presentation is required to register for the conference following acceptance of the paper.
For more information contact Iris Matthews at aen@institutenorth.org.
Panel proposals
The organizers encourage scientists and industry leaders to contact them with their ideas to organize dedicated panels dealing with controversial and challenging topics and paradigms. Invited panel leaders must include in their abstracts: their background, panelist names, their affiliation, the topic of the panel, as well as short biographies of the proposed panelists.
The conference organizers will work with closely with panel organizers on the final structure of all panels. For more information, or to discuss a preliminary idea for a panel discussion, contact Iris Matthews at aen@institutenorth.org.
Workshop proposals
The organizers also encourage those interested in hosting a workshop on issues complementary to the topics of this conference to contact them with their ideas. The proposed workshop format should be interactive in nature, and designed to engage participants in more deeply thinking and discussing a topic. Organizers encourage a format that includes presentation of an issue or challenge and encourages solution-oriented thinking. Workshop sessions will be given three hour blocks. Abstracts should include workshop organizers names, their affiliation, the topic of the workshop, motivation and rationale for the workshop, as well as short biographies of the proposed speakers and/or moderators for the workshop, as well as intended outcomes from the workshop session.
The conference organizers will work with closely with workshop organizers on the final structure of all workshops. For more information, or to discuss a preliminary idea for a workshop proposal, contact Iris Matthews at aen@institutenorth.org.
Poster Session
Submissions are also being accepted for poster presentations. There will be a designated poster sessions where presenters will have the opportunity to present their posters. The poster session is a good fit for ongoing research projects, case studies and or other technical innovations, and applications, as well as other topics related to the conference themes. The project or theme to be presented should be outlined in the abstract submission. Posters should not be previously published or a previous poster.
For more information contact Iris Matthews at aen@institutenorth.org.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT
Abstracts for paper presentations, session proposals, workshop proposals and poster sessions should be submitted to Iris Matthews via email at aen@institutenorth.org by April 15th , 2013.
Submissions should be no more than 2 pages long and should be ANSI A (8.5 X 11 in.) or ISO A4 (210 X 297 mm) with margins of 1 in or 2.5 cm on all edges and font size not less than 10 pt. The abstract must be converted to Adobe PDF or Microsoft Word format and submitted as an attachment to email. The following information must be included in the abstract submission:
- Name, mailing address, phone and e-mail of the first author/presenter;
- Names and affiliations of the co-authors or co-presenters;
- Complete contact information of the corresponding author if other than the first author;
- Assignment of abstract category based on the topics that are provided: workshop proposal, session proposal, poster presentation or paper presentation: academic, work in progress or new idea.
- Short Description: A short summary of the main idea of your proposal. No longer than one paragraph. This will appear in the conference program if the abstract is accepted.
- Summary of proposal: A synopsis of the paper, panel, workshop or poster to be presented on.
All submissions must be original, and not have been previously published or presented on. Conference registration is required of all who have an abstract accepted. Please contact iris Matthews at aen@institutenorth.org or 907-440-6418 with any questions.
IMPORTANT DATES
2013.04.15 Responses to Call for Papers Deadline
2013.05.15 Notifications of Acceptance/Denial
2013.06.30 Early Bird Registration Deadline
2013.08.15 Final Papers/Presentations Due
2013.10.08-10 Arctic Energy Summit
To register, or for more information visit: www.institutenorth.org/arcticenergysummit
