Dear readers, After my first few months in office I am already full of impressions of the Barents Region. Even though I had some time to prepare before I started as the Head of the International Barents Secretariat in January, it was difficult to imagine what was in store. To start, I discovered that it was not as dark in January and February as I had thought, nor was it as cold as I imagined it to be. Even though Kirkenes is very far north, the travel connections were better than I expected, with an impressive 11 airports in Finnmark, a county with only about 75 000 inhabitants. I have already done a lot of travelling as I try to learn as much as possible about the region and our network. My first trip was to Tromsø for the Arctic Frontiers Conference in January. If I had any doubt about the extent of political interest in the Barents region, it was gone from the very start. With royalty and prime ministers coming together to discuss our questions it became easier to go on with the daily work. The high political level at the Kirkenes Conference the following week only confirmed my first impressions.
Anyone who has studied the BEAC organizational chart understands that there are a lot of people to meet and get to know. Our working groups alone count for more than a hundred people. Further, there are two boards, many sister organisations, and counterparts in four countries. I will continue to meet as many of you as possible during the first year. It is only five months to the next ministerial meeting in Oulu. The Finnish chairmanship is preparing for that meeting and the conclusion of their two-year term. Moreover, the incoming Russian delegation has started to prepare for their forthcoming tenure. Many working groups will be planning their next meetings in a month ahead and you can follow our activity on our website. In this issue of Barents Saga you will meet people who have worked for many years with the Barents environmental co-operation. Maria Dronova and Tatyana Tyupenko will guide you through the last 20 years in the Barents region. You will learn about Barents Hot Spots, the Pulp and Paper Mill in Arkhangelsk, and a host of issues from nature conservation, climate change topics such as black carbon and regional adaptive strategies, and more. Have a nice time reading. Tomas Hallberg
Head of the International Barents Secretariat
BEAC WGE Chair Maria Dronova goes through the present status of Barents environmental co-operation.
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See also:
Tuuli Ojala from IBS gives an introduction to the Action Plan on Climate Change for Barents co-operation.
Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill has taken steps to decrease its climate effect among the pioneering companies in this field in Russia. The Chief Engineer of APPM, Mr. Viktor Zhitnukhin tells about the work to address the greenhouse gas emissions in the company.
Jari Pasanen from the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of Lapland chaired the Barents Regional Council Working Group on Environment years 2013 and 2014.