EU’s Arctic dilemma: How climate leadership, resource demand collide in North

The European Union has a major role to play in shaping the Arctic region’s climate future despite its limited presence there, according to a policy brief from environmental advocacy group Bellona Europa.

Published in May, the brief urges the EU to recognize and exercise its influence to promote sustainable, forward-looking policies across member states and partner countries in the region.

The Arctic is warming three times faster than the global average, with hotspots like Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located between mainland Norway and the North Pole, heating up six times faster. This rapid change brings mounting threats, including melting sea ice, methane release from thawing permafrost, ecosystem collapse, and more frequent extreme weather events.

Although the EU positions itself as a climate advocate, its ongoing consumption of Arctic-sourced oil, gas, and critical minerals contributes to the very crises it seeks to solve and undermines the credibility of European environmental efforts, Bellona Europa said.

“Failing to be clear leaves room for ambiguity, meaning the EU risks being seen to have contradictory interests in the region: n the one hand, being an advocate for protection and precaution, but on the other hand, fueling demand for fossil fuels and critical raw materials originating from one of the world’s most sensitive regions,” it said.

The brief is especially critical of Norway, a close EU partner though not a member, for pursuing policies driven by “short-term domestic interests,” including expanding fossil fuel extraction in the Arctic, while aligning with European climate ambitions. Norway is also home to the Bellona Foundation, the non-government organization that is the parent of Bellona Europa.

Key Policy Recommendations:

• Review and strengthen the EU Arctic Policy
  Reassess the current strategy, reaffirm the EU’s 2050 climate goals, and formally ban both offshore fossil fuel extraction and deep-sea mining in Arctic waters.
• Make the Arctic a priority in EU climate action
  Recognize the Arctic as a critical area for climate efforts by expanding marine protected areas, creating no-extraction zones, and advancing strong environmental safeguards.
• Ban imports tied to Arctic fossil fuels and mining
  Use trade leverage to discourage harmful extraction by banning imports of petroleum and raw materials sourced from Arctic fossil fuels or deep-sea mining.
• Oppose the Northern Sea Route
  Reject the commercial use of this high-risk Arctic shipping lane, which threatens the environment and supports Russia’s war economy.

Bellona is an international, independent NGO combating climate change. They have been engaged in Arctic matters since their founding in the 1980s.

Mary McAuliffe, formerly a Jerusalem-based correspondent for an international news channel, is a freelance journalist, photographer and filmmaker, covering the most pressing issues facing society for television, digital, and radio.