The Scottish Arctic Network made a submission to the UK Parliament Inquiry on “The UK and the Arctic Environment” to highlight the contribution to the Arctic made by Scotland-based researchers.
The inquiry will look at the UK’s duty to minimise damage to the vulnerable region, and examine how the UK Government’s current engagement with the region supports the protection of the Arctic environment, ensuring that the rights and livelihoods of Arctic communities are protected, plastic and other waste levels are reduced, and air and water quality and the wider environment preserved.
While many ScAN members submitted their own evidence to the inquiry, ScAN steering group provided a broad overview of ScAN, its activities, objectives, and institutional connections. Established in 2022, ScAN currently brings together over 130 members and its objectives include the improvement of inter-institutional collaboration and communication on Arctic research in Scotland; and facilitating increased international and domestic awareness of Scotland’s contribution to Arctic research. Its foundation is the Scottish Government Arctic Policy Framework – Arctic Connections – which was launched in 2019. Scotland is the world’s most northerly non-Arctic nation and shares a close connection to the region, going back to the Nordic heritage of place names, polar exploration, migration, and research.
Supported by Scottish Government funding, ScAN is focused on building and strengthening collective resources across a number of areas from education, research and innovation to clean energy, sustainable economic development and rural connections. ScAN supports joint funding applications, promotes Arctic-relevant research of its members, holds webinars, and supports early career researchers in attending relevant conferences and more.
The ScAN’s submission can be read here.
