Polar Regions (2019)

The polar regions, both the Arctic and Antarctica, are characterized by harsh climates and very low population densities, with Antarctica only being a temporary home for researchers and other staff. Especially the Arctic is undergoing rapid changes, due to both climate change and globalization. Increasing economic activities in the Arctic, such as tourism or the extraction of hydrocarbons, lead to increasing risks for disasters which can affect both local residents, including the many indigenous communities of the Arctic, as well as visitors.1 At the time of writing, in late January 2020, the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus from the Chinese city of Wuhan has already had a serious economic impact on the tourism industry in the continental European Arctic. Faced with new kinds of threats, decision-makers on different levels have to respond to the risk of disasters in a challenging climatic and economic environment. Often, such responses will require international cooperation. The eight Arctic states, Canada, the United States of America (with regard to Alaska), Denmark (with regard to Greenland), Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Russian Federation, are parties to the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement (Arctic SAR Agreement),2 which has provided a framework for cross-border cooperation since it entered into force in 2013. The Arctic SAR Agreement had been created under the auspices of the Arctic Council, the key forum for international cooperation in the Arctic.3 The importance of cross-border cooperation can also be seen in the recent work of the Arctic Council concerning the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and