Arctic Mining Workshop: Environmental issues, mitigation and pollution control for marine and coastal mining
Client, Date and Location
- Government of Canada, Kingdom of Denmark
Subject Matter Area
- Environmental Protection, Extractives and Energy
Category
- Facilitation & Dialogue Process Design
Approach
Collaborating with Katalyst Resolutions, we designed and facilitated a virtual workshop in 2023, focused on understanding lessons to mitigate the impact of mining on marine environments in the arctic for convenors Canada and Kingdom of Denmark. Other participants included countries and organizations who participate in the Arctic Council’s working group on the Protection of Marine Environment (PAME), amongst others. With 70 participants from science, industry, government, and Arctic Indigenous People’s organizations, the interactive workshop looked at potential impacts of mining, and how to minimize the impacts from an environmental and technical perspective.
Result
The workshop convenors’ goals were met with the support of our process design and facilitation team; these outcomes included:
- Exchange of case experiences on the environmental impact of arctic mining and distilling the lessons – what have we learned, and looking ahead, what should be considered?
- Building practical solutions and guidelines for mining and development, inspiring positive actions going forward;
- Building professional networks for arctic specialists to support one another, fostering an exchange of ideas and information (for example, regulators from different jurisdictions).
This workshop included three days of keynote speakers, short lightning talks, as well as panel discussions and breakouts from key scientists, industry, Arctic Indigenous and community organizations, government agencies and more. During the workshop, we also facilitated break-out discussions, with topics shaped by the issues and interests identified by participants. The initiatives are summarized in the workshop report at : https://conferences.au.dk/arctic-mining