Robin des Bois - Communiqué

Cleaning up the Arctic all together

On March 29th, Canada will host a conference on the Arctic with a handful of circumpolar countries before a summit of the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the G8. For the Arctic session, Canada has only invited Norway, Russia, the United States and Denmark. It is regrettable that Finland, Sweden and Iceland were omitted, as well as the indigenous populations.
It is said that the five invited nation will discuss environmental issues. Robin des Bois has researched and mapped an inventory of 2,750 contaminated sites within the Arctic Circle; this does not include Russian sites, as they did not respond to any of Robin des Bois’s requests for information.

Our report was published at the end of December 2009 and used countries official inventories and other sources. Historically, the main responsible parties are scientific and military bases, the oil and gas sector, and the mining and steel industries. The major pollutants are asbestos, heavy metals, mining tailings, hydrocarbons, PCBs and other Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The Arctic Ocean and surface water and groundwater are polluted which affects fish, birds, land animals, and all of the food chain.

Because of the health risks and the future risks associated with global warming and the melting of permafrost, it is essential to put in place a coordinated rehabilitation plan of the polluted sites in the Arctic. Therefore, it is important that Arctic countries at the conference in Quebec and on all occasions reflect and act accordingly.

Founded in 1985 in Paris, Robin des Bois is an international association working for the protection of man and the environment. The association participates in international conferences, such as OSPAR for the protection of the northeast Atlantic. In this context, Robin des Bois encourages sub-Arctic Europeans countries to reduce industrial discharge in the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. These pollutants are then transported by the currents towards the Arctic Circle.

Link to the inventory and cartographies

	Press release March 26th 2010	Close this window
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Cleaning up the Arctic all together On March 29th, Canada will host a conference on the Arctic with a handful of circumpolar countries before a summit of the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the G8. For the Arctic session, Canada has only invited Norway, Russia, the United States and Denmark. It is regrettable that Finland, Sweden and Iceland were omitted, as well as the indigenous populations. It is said that the five invited nation will discuss environmental issues. Robin des Bois has researched and mapped an inventory of 2,750 contaminated sites within the Arctic Circle; this does not include Russian sites, as they did not respond to any of Robin des Bois’s requests for information. Our report was published at the end of December 2009 and used countries official inventories and other sources. Historically, the main responsible parties are scientific and military bases, the oil and gas sector, and the mining and steel industries. The major pollutants are asbestos, heavy metals, mining tailings, hydrocarbons, PCBs and other Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The Arctic Ocean and surface water and groundwater are polluted which affects fish, birds, land animals, and all of the food chain. Because of the health risks and the future risks associated with global warming and the melting of permafrost, it is essential to put in place a coordinated rehabilitation plan of the polluted sites in the Arctic. Therefore, it is important that Arctic countries at the conference in Quebec and on all occasions reflect and act accordingly. Founded in 1985 in Paris, Robin des Bois is an international association working for the protection of man and the environment. The association participates in international conferences, such as OSPAR for the protection of the northeast Atlantic. In this context, Robin des Bois encourages sub-Arctic Europeans countries to reduce industrial discharge in the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. These pollutants are then transported by the currents towards the Arctic Circle. Link to the inventory and cartographies
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