Download FUTURE CLIMATE OF THE ARCTIC Conference on an Arctic

Arctic Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone
NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONES
CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM
United Nations, New York April 29, 2010
Adele Buckley
Arctic Security WG of
Canadian Pugwash,
Pugwash Council
1. Climate Change <<->> Polar Ice Melts
2. Arctic climate affects the global climate
Temperature patterns will change substantially
by 2050
Annual mean
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Arctic security environment
All Arctic nations are increasing their
military presence
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Circumpolar nations add new military hardware
Clockwise: Russia – submarine; Russia – surface warship; Norway –
armed Arctic patrol vessel; Norway – 4 ice capable vessels of this
class ; Norway – armed Arctic patrol vessel
[Rob Huebert, Univ. of Calgary – Arctic Security Challenges & Issues- Ottawa, 01/28/10]
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Ice capable conflict and surveillance vessels
Clockwise: Sweden/Finland- Arctic exercise 2009; Canada-Northern
exercises; Canada – Arctic Offshore patrol vessel; Denmark –armed,
ice capable inspection vessel [Rob Huebert]
General Arrangements – Upper Deck
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A military presence – not a surprising
development –collaboration is possible
Search and rescue
 Environmental problems, e.g. oil spill
 Surveillance of shipping lanes
__________________________
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The current level of threat
is low. Now is the time for
political collaboration
“Ridding the Arctic of Nuclear Weapons
A Task Long Overdue”
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A collaboration – aboriginals & academics
GPS for Nunavut Hunters
[Univ.Calgary, National Snow& Ice Ctr, Inuit hunters of Clyde River, ISIUOP]
2006 – 2009 Environmental researchers and geomatics engineers design and
field test a new tool for hunters - GPS* equipped PDA* and weather station;
touch interface with icons

OVER TIME: A valuable qualitative and
quantitative picture of land,

sea and ice and how Inuit use the it
{yes, Arctic peoples must be
Involved in ANWFZ negotiations}
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* Global Positioning System
** Personal Digital Assistant
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New technology – could monitor
compliance with an Arctic NWFZ treaty
Unmanned smart sub*,
Explorer, maps the
under-ice seabed
 Could the smart sub
be a surveillance tool
for nuclear submarines?

*Submarine Engineering Ltd., British Columbia with Defence Research & Development Canada
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International law (UNCLOS) will resolve sovereignty claims on
continental shelves
www.dur.ac.uk/ibru/resources/arctic
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UNCLOS (United Nations Convention
on Law of the Sea)
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Because there are no territorial claims
beyond the UNCLOS exclusive economic
zones (EEZ), denuclearization of the entire
Arctic Ocean would require, at the least, an
agreement between all nuclear weapon
states, notwithstanding the UNCLOS
requirement of preservation of the high seas
for peaceful purposes
Establishing an Arctic NuclearWeapon-Free Zone

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Emulate other Arctic agreements, obtained through
peaceful collaboration
There are many NWFZs
–
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Northern hemisphere has only Central Asia NWFZ and
Mongolia
Two NWS have sovereign territory in the Arctic;
ANWFZ would be a giant step toward
denuclearization
Ideally, ANWFZ would be synchronized with other
efforts in international arms control & disarmament
THE MAIN CHALLENGES
Many circumpolar nations are
part of NATO, a nuclear alliance.
 Arctic nations U.S. and Russia
are nuclear weapon states
 Arctic territory (land) in the United States is free of
nuclear weapons; the Russian Federation relies
upon the Arctic region in basing, deployment and
transit of nuclear weapons
 Security policy and planning of the Arctic circumpolar
states does not yet include an Arctic NWFZ
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MEETING THE CHALLENGES

Each nuclear weapon-free zone is specific to the
geography and politics of the participating sovereign
states [flexibility in negotiation is implied]
For example: rules for transit of nuclear weapons vary from
zone to zone.
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Arctic peoples must be at the negotiating table
Nations must proceed with urgency, being mindful of
the need to assist the Arctic/High North peoples –
indigenous and non-indigenous – for preservation of
the environment, security from conflict, and
adaptation to climate change.
Policy/plans recommended for
Arctic Nuclear Weapon States
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Decrease the role of nuclear weapons in military planning
Require NATO, in creating a new Strategic Concept, to
accommodate the possibility of an ANWFZ
Cooperate with the Arctic non-nuclear weapon states -Canada,
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden - to enable those
states to agree to establish a NWFZ in their own territories, as
recommended in “Call for an Arctic Nuclear Weapon Free
Zone”, the declaration of a conference in Copenhagen, in
August 2009” [ www.diis.dk ]
Enable removal of Russian Federation nuclear weapons from
the Arctic by negotiating a significant, verifiable arms control
treaty that would enable strategic parity between Russia & U.S.
Policy/Plans for Arctic NNWS
Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden
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Work cooperatively to enable a nuclear weapon-free zone to be
established in their own territories north of the Arctic Circle;
include the nuclear weapons states in these discussions, as a
prelude to these states taking steps to include their own
territories in the ANWFZ
Actively promote a step-by-step approach, involving at first the
terrestrial territory, followed by negotiations for sea and
airspace
Require NATO to remove any restrictions on a NATO member
country that would mitigate against establishing the ANWFZ ,
such as an agreement to station nuclear weapons on their
territory in time of war
Fostering the ANWFZ formation with
assistance from institutions and civil society
International treaties covering many issues relevant to the Arctic/High
North require negotiation in the near term. The Arctic NuclearWeapon-Free Zone, the subject of a lengthy negotiation in itself, would
not take precedence. The expectation of an ANWFZ must, however,
be a background to each negotiation and international meeting on
Arctic matters. Civil society groups and academia can contribute:
 expertise and new research; report findings to the circumpolar
governments; recommend action
 Connect with relevant United Nations reviews and conferences.
REMINDER: the Non-Proliferation Treaty Article VII encourages any
group of states to conclude regional agreements
 Keep the ANWFZ at the forefront of their interaction with all
nuclear and Arctic non-nuclear governments until such time as
these governments are committed to carrying the process
forward
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Campaign Goal
Keep the ANWFZ proposal at the forefront in
interaction with all nuclear and Arctic nonnuclear governments until such time as these
governments are committed to carrying the
process forward
Establishment of an Arctic Nuclear WeaponFree Zone is a confidence building step
toward nuclear disarmament
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Benefits to Arms Control and Disarmament
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Planning and negotiating for an Arctic NWFZ will
complement the efforts of governments and civil society
groups who are working on other facets of arms control
and disarmament.
An Arctic NWFZ treaty would create the controls that
would greatly diminish or eliminate the possibility of
terrorists transporting nuclear material by Arctic sea lanes.
Continued cooperation between G8 partners and the
Russian Federation, e.g. cleanup of the large quantities of
high-level radioactive waste from nuclear submarine
operations
As states discuss an ANWFZ, there could be early action
on securing fissile material that is located in the Arctic.
Civil society support for ANWFZ
“Safeguard the Arctic by establishing an Arctic
Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone” a statement by
the Canadian Pugwash Arctic Security WG
Leaders in national Pugwash groups have
endorsed the formation of an ANWFZ –
Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden
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Contact information
Canadian Pugwash Arctic Security WG
 Adele Buckley [email protected]
 Michael Wallace [email protected]
 Steven Staples [email protected]
www.arcticsecurity.org www.pugwashgroup.ca
Report: Ridding the Arctic of Nuclear Weapons, A Task
Long Overdue (M. Wallace & S. Staples)
Additional Arctic Information: see www.pugwashgroup.ca
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