On Friday, 17th March, Aberdeen welcomed the Arctic Frontiers Abroad conference organised in Scotland for the first time. It was a spin off of a larger conference taking place in Tromsø (Norway) and aimed to spotlight the cooperation between the Arctic States and Scotland (most northerly non-Arctic nation) in the areas of just transition and blue economy.
Dr Daria Shapovalova (AUCEL co-director) took part in the conference panel on just transition. She was joined by Hannah Mary Goodlad from Equinor, RMT's Jake Molloy, and Marie Anne Coninsx, the former ambassador of the EU in the Arctic. In her address, Daria highlighted the research conducted within the Just Transition Lab and the need to reform law and policy to allow for a meaningful public engagement in energy infrastructure projects and protection of the existing offshore workforce.
The conference featured participation from academic, business, and policy-makers from Scotland, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Norway and more. The conference was organised by Arctic Frontiers and the Scottish Government and included addresses by Angus Robertson MSP, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary responsible for external affairs including Arctic cooperation and Richard Lochhead MSP, the Scottish Minister for just transition.