The Arctic Institute – Center for Circumpolar Security Studies
| Abbreviation | TAI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2011 |
| Type | Public policy-Think tank |
| Headquarters | Washington D.C. |
Managing Director | Victoria Herrmann |
| Website | www |
The Arctic Institute (TAI) is an independent, nonprofit Arctic policy and research organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2011, TAI’s stated goals include providing data, analysis, and recommendations to policymakers, researchers, and the public about Arctic environmental, human, and national security challenges. TAI is international in scope, with field-based researchers from several circumpolar countries including Canada, Norway, Denmark and the US.
History
TAI was established in 2011 by Malte Humpert. Inspired by the 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, the writings of polar historian Charles Emmerson, and polar scientist Alun Anderson, Humpert created TAI in order to provide a platform for developing informed policy to respond to the rapid changes underway in the Arctic region. In 2016, TAI was shortlisted by Prospect Magazine’s Think Tank Awards for best Energy and Environment Think Tank in the United States.[1] In 2015 and 2016, TAI was ranked 61 of 1,835 in Top Think Tanks in the United States by the University of Pennsylvania Global Go To Think Tank Index Report.[2]
Activities
TAI is involved in 10 areas of Arctic policy research:
- Business and Economics
- Climate Change and Environment [3]
- Indigenous Rights and Society
- Law and Governance
- Natural Resources and Energy
- Politics and Strategy
- Shipping and Trade [4]
- Youth and Education
TAI regularly publishes reports on climate change, diplomacy, and security developments in the region. The Arctic This Week (TATW) is a newsletter which was started in 2012.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).
Collaborations
TAI works with a variety of non-governmental organizations, universities, international, national, and sub-national government agencies, and individual researchers. Among these are: [5]
- The Pacific Northwest Economic Region,
- the High North Center of the University of Nordland (Norway),
- UK Science and Innovation Nordics Network,
- the Arctic Circle Assembly,
- the Arctic Adaptation Exchange of the Arctic Council.
Organization
TAI is led by a Leadership Team of Senior Fellows together with the Board of Directors and distinguished Board of Advisers.[6]
The Board of Directors is led by David Slayton, Executive Director of the Arctic Security Initiative at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. The Board’s role is to provide governance of financial affairs, guide the selection of research projects, and safeguard the independence of the Institute’s work.[7]
Board of Advisers
TAI’s Board of Advisers is composed of figures in the Arctic research and policymaking community.
- Senior Climate Change Advisor to GRID-Arendal Polar Center John Crump,
- Royal Holloway Professor Klaus Dodds,
- Executive Director of the US Arctic Research Commission John Farrell,
- Special Advisor and Chief Negotiator of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Udloriak Hanson,
- University of Lapland Professor Lassi Heininen,
- Founder of Ecologic Institute Andreas Kraemer,
- Dean of the Norwegian Defence University College Kristine Offerdal,
- Former Icelandic Ambassador to the United Kingdom Thordur Aegir Oskarsson,
- Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies Professor Rolf Tamnes.
External Links
- Website of The Arctic Institute
- Articles of Victoria Herrmann in The Guardian
- Americas Eroding Edges
