Legal Issues on Sustainable Development in the Arctic

Abstract

Although it is a well-known fact that the existence of the Arctic indigenous people is threatened, the climate change and the ice-thawing are circulating each other and threatening existence of mankind. The development and environment of the Arctic should be discussed and decided together with the whole mankind. In September 2013, the Greenpeace, non-government environment organization even attempted to occupy the offshore oil platform to protest the work of Russia's Arctic subsea oil drilling. Regardless of whether the acts of the Greenpeace are lawful or not, it is an example showing that all mankind pays attention to environment of the Arctic and development by the Arctic States. The Arctic Council has claimed to strong Arctic Council through the Kiruna Declaration in 2013. To establish strong Arctic Council with regard to the issues of environmental protection and sustainable development, universal support from the international community and mankind is required to be a preliminary step.