Norwegian, German and Indian research ministers meet on Svalbard
International climate meeting in Ny-Ålesund
Plans for large-scale projects in climate research involving international cooperation on funding were discussed at a high-level meeting on climate on Svalbard in summer 2008.
Research minister Tora Aasland with her Indian and German colleagues and Arvid Hall�n, Director General of the Research Council of Norway. (Photo: Karine Nygar Aarskog)
The Norwegian Minister of Research Tora Aasland is seeking active steps to promote increased international research cooperation. Ms Aasland, who hosted this year's climate symposium in Ny-Ålesund, emphasises the importance of gathering politicians, researchers and industry leaders at meetings such as this.
"As a politician it concerns me that today's opportunities and tools for meeting climate challenges may seem too weak and may be set in motion too late. Many people are worried about climate change and are waiting for the authorities to implement measures. But if we leave the challenges to the politicians alone, we will not achieve the results we need. We manage the earth's resources on behalf of future generations. To fulfil these obligations, we must think and act globally, regionally and locally," says the minister, who is asking for help from researchers and leaders of trade and industry.
Norwegian-Indian collaboration
From the climate symposium in Ny-Ålesund. (Photo: Karine Nigar Aarskog)
During the Svalbard symposium, Ms Aasland held bilateral meetings with the ministers of research from Germany and India. This led to plans for Norway and India to set up a joint working group that will develop models for research collaboration based on Norway's expertise in the area of hydropower. Small hydropower plants in Indian villages could be the result.
"This may be a very good example of global thinking and local action," says Ms Aasland, noting that the Norwegian renewable energy company Statkraft has already established hydropower plants in India.
New research station
India has been conducting extensive research in Antarctica and the Himalayas for many years, and will now also focus on the Arctic. In connection with the symposium, India opened its new research station in Ny-Ålesund.
"Ny-Ålesund is an ideal location for global cooperation on polar research. The researchers at the Indian station will not copy what other stations are doing, but will integrate their activities with the research that is already ongoing," explains the Indian Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal. He adds that it is important for India to find connections between climatic developments in India and the polar regions.
"Sixty per cent of India's population lives in agricultural areas. It will be a great benefit for us if we can understand the link between what is taking place in the Arctic and the monsoons in India so that we can make more accurate predictions," says Mr Sibal.
Access to the Arctic
Antenna domes in Ny-Ålesund, owned by the German Alfred Wegener Institute. (Photo: Karine Nigar Aarskog)
Germany is also focusing on international collaboration in the North. Their efforts revolve around the icebreaker Ericon - Aurora Borealis which has room for 120 researchers. The project has a timeframe of four years, and ten European countries are involved. The budget is 4.5 million Euro.
"The research vessel will provide a tool for joint expeditions and give us new access to the Arctic," says Karin Lochte, Director of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). The AWI is Germany's leading institute on polar and marine research, and operates the German research station in Ny-Ålesund.
"We must address the need to train the next generation of researchers, we must improve and enhance coordination of our observation systems and data, and we must develop and share logistics such as aircraft, ocean vessels and research stations. If instead of developing new facilities we talk with each other and combine our countries' resources, we will save money and simplify the logistics at the same time," says Lochte.
Cooperation across national borders
The German Minister of Education and Research Annette Schavan also underscores how crucial it is to cooperate across national borders on climate research and agrees that resources should be consolidated rather than each country conducting its own research.
"A single country or a group of countries cannot meet the challenges of the climate crisis alone. We need effective international research collaboration that seeks common solutions. The icebreaker Aurora Borealis is an excellent European project for all the countries engaged in Arctic research," says Schavan. She is interested in continuing the dialogue from the symposium and has therefore invited her Norwegian colleague to a similar seminar in Germany in the near future.
A living laboratory
As a result of the broad-based political agreement on climate policy, the Storting has promised funding of close to NOK 1 billion through 2010 for Norwegian climate research and research on alternative technology.
"The idea is that the money will be used to search for viable alternatives and to improve the technology we have. We have to conduct research on climate issues in order to find alternatives. I am convinced that the research being carried out here on Svalbard will help us to find answers, including through research on how pollution enters the air, water, animals and plants. Here on Svalbard we are in the middle of a laboratory," says Tora Aasland. But even though politicians across party lines in Norway want to give a boost to climate research, Norway is also dependent on international cooperation.
Top priority: More funding for infrastructure
Director-General of the Research Council Arvid Hallén is confident that Svalbard will be included on the list of European infrastructure, and points out that the archipelago is already well developed as a research platform.
"For us it is a top priority to obtain more funding for infrastructure. Major investments have already been made on Svalbard, which is one reason why it provides a unique research platform," he explains.
An upward spiral
Hallén also believes that large-scale international cooperation will strengthen research, and the Research Council seeks to facilitate this in several ways.
"We can set clear expectations and requirements for international cooperation in the Norwegian projects we finance, and we can lay the framework for and establish contact with institutions and authorities in other countries," asserts Hallén, who also stresses the Research Council's potential to foster the participation of Norwegian research institutions in international initiatives.
"In the future we are going to see a growing number of joint calls for proposals, as well as an entirely different level of international funding cooperation," says Hallén. In this context, he emphasises how important it is that Norwegian research communities have updated, cutting-edge infrastructure that will make them attractive research partners.
"It is an upward spiral. The Research Council must help Norwegian researchers look beyond our national borders and seek out the best international research communities. When nations are linked and research efforts are coordinated, the total amount of funding will also reach farther," says Hallén.
A good example of this is the project known as the Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIAEOS) in which several research institutions on Svalbard have submitted a joint proposal to the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) for NOK 700 million in funding for collaborative research. The project aims to maximise the number of comprehensive observations of the sea, earth, ice and atmosphere, which will lead to more concrete conclusions about how the climate and environment are developing around the world.
The climate symposium in Ny-Ålesund in summer 2008
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- Published:
- 19.09.2008
- Last updated:
- 02.12.2008
