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National Security
Reference:

Sustainable development of the Arctic region: main theoretical aspects

Donskikh Dmitrii Valerevich

Postgraduate Student, Department of Comparative Politics, Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia

117198, Russia, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 6

dimitridonsk@mail.ru
Melnikov Andrei Olegovich

Postgraduate Student, Department of Comparative Politics, Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia

117198, Russia, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 6

dimitridonsk@mail.ru
Lyui Karina Evgenevna

Student, Faculty of Economics and Management, Russian State University of Oil and Gas (National Research University) named after I.M. Gubkin

65 Leninsky Ave., Moscow, 119991, Russia

dimitridonsk@mail.ru

DOI:

10.7256/2454-0668.2023.4.43685

EDN:

THCTYM

Received:

01-08-2023


Published:

26-10-2023


Abstract: Today, the Arctic is one of the most significant regions of the geopolitics of the world's leading states. The clash of their interests in the region creates the need to form the foundations for a theoretical understanding of sustainable development as the main ideological component of achieving effective economic growth in the Arctic. The object of research is the sustainable development of the Arctic region. The subject of the study is the theoretical basis of sustainable development in relation to the Arctic region. Special attention is paid to the study of supranational regulatory bodies of states in the Arctic and the legal basis for the use of these territories at the present stage, as well as the shortcomings of current approaches and proof of the need to develop principles of sustainable economic development in the region. The article analyzes modern approaches to sustainable development, characterizes the main interests of the main participants in the development of the region, and also puts forward proposals for the formation of principles of sustainable economic development in the Arctic, aimed at ensuring the economic growth of the region. The main conclusions of the study are: proof of the imperfection of modern regulation of sustainable development as an economic category, the abundance and overlap of the functionality of supranational organizations engaged in the sustainable development of Arctic territories and the need to develop new concepts of sustainable economic development of the region. The scientific novelty lies in the proof of the increase in the navigational importance of the region with climate change, as well as the economic potential of the region, which results in the activation of the political significance of the region for key world powers.


Keywords:

Arctic, Arctic Council, environmental security, sustainable development, international relations, Arctic region, multilateral diplomacy, resources of the Arctic, countries of the Arctic region, Russia

This article is automatically translated.

 

Introduction

To date, the concept of "sustainable development" is applied in a special way in the Arctic region, one of the two mandates of the Arctic Council is devoted to this topic. It is based on the ecological reservation of the development concept, which stipulates that economic development in the region is permissible only if it does not involve permanent environmental costs [1].

Despite the fact that the issues of governance, politics and social development in the Arctic are overwhelmingly related to economic development, it can be argued that this issue is poorly studied in scientific discourse, although not due to lack of effort. The development of the Arctic is fraught with difficulties: there is a clear contradiction between industrial activity and strict environmental protection, as well as between the ideas of social services and indigenous peoples about the quality of life of the latter. The population here is small, lives in large territories and therefore it is difficult for them to provide public services. There is a shortage of labor and capital, infrastructure is poorly developed and its construction is expensive.

The object of research is the sustainable development of the Arctic region. The subject of the study is the theoretical basis of sustainable development in relation to the Arctic region.

In connection with the highlighted problems of the region's development, this study aims to identify key barriers to the sustainable development of the Arctic for the region as a whole and the Russian Arctic territories in particular.

To achieve the goal, a number of tasks have been completed:

1) The key features of sustainable development applicable to the Arctic are highlighted;

2) The activity of the Arctic Council as a fundamental regulator of the sustainable development of the region is analyzed;

3) Common problems of sustainable development of the Arctic are highlighted;

4) The specific problems of the development of the Russian Arctic are highlighted.

 

Results

 

To begin with, let's define clear geographical boundaries of the region. Eight states have territories within the Arctic. Their national jurisdictions and international law regulate land use in the territories surrounding the Arctic Ocean and its waters [3]. Table 1 shows the territorial boundaries of the Arctic.

 

Table 1 - Composition of the Arctic territories [4].

Macroregion

A country

Regions

Area of the territory, km 2

Russian

Russia

Includes entirely: Murmansk Region, Nenets Autonomous District, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Chukotka Autonomous District; Includes partially: Arkhangelsk Region (7 urban districts and municipal districts), Republic of Karelia (3), Komi Republic (1), Krasnoyarsk Territory (3), Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (13)

4 769 508

Western European

Finland

Lapland, Northern Ostrobothnia, Kainuu

168 910

Sweden

Norbotten, Vesterbotten

153 431

Norway

Nordland, Troms, Finnmark, Svalbard, Jan Mayen

174 350

Iceland

It is included entirely

102 775

Denmark

Faroe Islands

1 399

North American

Denmark

Greenland

2 166 086

Canada

Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut

3 921 739

USA

Alaska

1 723 337

Total

13 181 534

 

More than four million people live in the Arctic region, their distribution is shown in Table 2.

Table 2 Population of the Arctic by country, 1900-2019, thousand people [5].

Territory

1990

2000

2010

2019

World Arctic

including:

Russia

USA

Finland

Sweden

Norway

Iceland

Canada

Denmark

 

6037

 

3429

550

641

513

464

254

84

103

 

5600

 

2867

627

651

515

467

279

93

102

 

5399

 

2526

710

659

508

468

318

106

105

 

5439

 

2439

737

664

521

489

357

124

108

 

Throughout the entire foreseeable period, Russia was in the lead in terms of the number of inhabitants of the Arctic, whose Arctic population increased 8.6 times over the period 1900-2019. Thanks to such a concentration of human resources, primarily engaged in mining, Russia has become a leader in terms of GRP produced in the Arctic, while being inferior to other countries in relative economic indicators. The share of Russia in the population of the world Arctic ranged from 21.6% in 1900 to 57.5% in 1989, and by 2019 it had decreased to 44.8%. The Arctic population of the United States, which ranks second in number, has increased 11.5 times over these 120 years. Other countries showed moderate growth ranging from 1.9 to 4.6 times, because they did not have such a high potential for internal migration. Canada and Denmark have the smallest share in the Arctic population, despite their vast territories.

Economic development in the Arctic is ambivalent and can be conditionally divided into the development of industry and local crafts. Public discussion is focused on the first: oil and gas, large-scale mining, shipping and infrastructure connectivity [15; 16]. There is a sufficient amount of scientific research on these topics [17; 18; 19], although they often affect industrial development and sales markets more than the sustainable development of the Arctic. At the same time, both the development of Arctic resources and the study of this process are largely subject to booms and recessions of interest. 

The concept of sustainable development in the Arctic today is the basis for the formation of state strategies of many states [20]. However, a number of questions arise. For example, if the development of natural resources is the basis of the Arctic economy, can it ever become truly sustainable? What happens when two elements – sustainability and economic development – are in conflict?  Is it possible to ensure sustainable economic development without clear, even strict environmental standards? Balanced answers to these questions have been achieved only in a few countries; in the Arctic, the scales are tilted towards sustainability, since regulatory legal acts are mainly aimed at preserving the natural conditions of the region. Efforts to promote entrepreneurship, small business development, or the knowledge economy remain largely abstract. Thus, the Finnish Chairmanship of the Arctic Council focused on establishing links between the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for the period up to 2030 (SDGs) and the Arctic context [2].

The Arctic Council was mentioned above as one of the fundamental bodies regulating the activities of countries in the Arctic region. The work of the Arctic Council, as a rule, is divided into thematic areas, all of which are more or less related to sustainable development:

1) "Economic assessments" include analysis and joint monitoring of economic trends and activities in the Arctic, including the promotion of sustainable and diverse economic development, investment and policy.

2) "Educational Opportunities" offer innovative technologies for the accumulation of knowledge and the development of skills necessary to maintain the existence of local communities in a dynamically changing region.

3) "Heritage and culture of the Arctic communities" allows you to expand and deepen knowledge about the peoples, cultures, traditional way of life, languages and values of the region. To support and glorify indigenous languages, traditional way of life and customs. 

4) "Human Health" offers the exchange of information, assessments and dissemination of innovative solutions that can support public health systems and the provision of medical services, with a focus on projects that reduce mortality and disability from environmental risk factors, suicide and infectious and chronic diseases.

5) "Infrastructure" promotes the provision of information to justify responsible and sustainable long-term investments in all forms of Arctic infrastructure, taking into account the current needs of communities as well as the changing environment through independent efforts and in coordination with other subsidiary bodies and task forces.

6) "Reducing/eliminating inequality" aims to strengthen and promote the adoption of reasonable strategies to eliminate inequalities based on age, gender, physical condition, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

7) "Science and research for sustainable development" It includes promoting the effective use of research institutes in the Arctic region in the interests of sustainable development, including through a system of academic exchange and joint research in the Arctic.

8) "Sustainable business development" stimulates economic development, including in new and developing sectors, and assesses its potential benefits, including job creation and promotion of local culture and products.

9) "Sustainable Energy" promotes responsible and sustainable management, use and production of energy, as well as encourages the development of renewable energy sources.

10) "Transport connectivity" It is aimed at developing a sustainable transport infrastructure that offers opportunities for the efficient movement of people and goods, which is of particular importance for remote and isolated Arctic communities.

11) "Water Supply and Sanitation Services" proposes to strengthen the participation of local communities and businesses in the sustainable development of water supply, sanitation and waste recycling, taking into account the unique engineering problems and environmental risks faced by the region.

It should be noted that these areas of work of the Arctic Council are implemented within the framework of the Strategic Plan for 2021-2030, which focuses on the development of the Arctic as “a region of peace, stability and constructive cooperation, which is a dynamic, prosperous, sustainable and safe home for all its inhabitants, including indigenous peoples, and where their rights and well-being are respected.” It is in this message that the main task of sustainable development of the Arctic region lies – to balance the political interests of the countries that are part of it, to make the region dynamically economically developing, without infringing on the rights of indigenous peoples and businesses. This seems to be a difficult task for a number of reasons. Let's start with the climate component of the issue.

In the Arctic, climate change is one of the most serious problems. The temperature in the Arctic region is rising at least twice as fast as the global average. The retreating ice sheet offers new economic opportunities, as natural resources such as oil and gas become increasingly available, new sea routes appear, and the shipping season lengthens on traditional ones. Thus, there has been a significant increase in traffic on the Northern Sea Route in recent years. In 2021 alone, more than 180 million tons of goods were transported along this route, which is almost 70 percent more than in the previous year (Figure 3). Major technology firms have also shown interest in the new economic opportunities found in the Arctic, launching initiatives to lay fiber-optic cables across the Arctic Ocean and building new data centers that benefit from the cold climate [6].

 

Figure 3 - Volume of Russian cargo transportation in the waters of the Northern Sea Route, thousand tons

As you know, the Arctic is of crucial importance in terms of climate impact, since the changes taking place in the Arctic region have global consequences. According to some estimates, the Greenland ice sheet will disappear by the year 3000, which will lead to an increase in the water level in the world by 7 meters [21]. This will greatly affect coastal regions around the world, leading to the relocation of millions of people. Studies have also shown that changes in the Arctic climate correlate with extreme weather events in other localities, cause melting of ice shelves and further acceleration of global warming [7].

For most large TNCs, these consequences mean a rapid increase in the risks of losses and disruptions in supply chains. The number of private climate initiatives has increased dramatically over the past few years. Sustainable development is turning from a choice into a necessity. At the same time, the scale of climate change and the political impasse in its solution have led to a growing recognition at the national and international levels of the need to involve the private sector in climate policy.

An equally difficult issue in achieving the goals of the Arctic Council is the unresolved infrastructure deficit in the Arctic. This is especially evident in the extractive sector, where public-private partnership in infrastructure development has been the most characteristic feature in recent decades [22; 23].

There are serious practical problems hindering the implementation of major infrastructure projects in the Arctic. Due to long distances, harsh weather conditions and often initially quite poor infrastructure, the Arctic is a logistically and technologically very difficult working environment. This year alone, six major investment banks actively involved in hydrocarbon production projects have announced in their new climate strategies that they will no longer finance new offshore oil projects in the Arctic, while states, on the contrary, cancel and reduce restrictions aimed at protecting the environment and promoting sustainability and announce large state-owned investments in new Arctic oil and gas projects. Thus, the existing PPP relations in the region are being destroyed and hinder private participation in infrastructure development. The volume of resources required for sustainable infrastructure development in the region is growing.

In addition to the infrastructure for new sources of fossil fuels, it is also important to take into account the energy aspect of the infrastructure development of the region. From wind, solar and offshore turbines to improving battery efficiency, the Arctic is an ideal testing ground for new technologies and the mass introduction of clean energy.

Thus, the two main obstacles to the global sustainable development of the Arctic are climate restrictions that create serious barriers to environmentally friendly projects and logistical difficulties, overcoming which requires significant financial costs and active participation of both the state and the corporate sector, which is not observed today.

 

Development of the Russian Arctic territory

 

In recent years, Russia has been investing huge resources in the development of its Arctic territory. In the latest Arctic Strategy for the period up to 2035, effective resource management and the urgency of eliminating political and economic threats are called priority interests in the region [24]. Having the longest Arctic coastline, as well as the most densely populated and industrially developed Arctic region of all the northern states and a significant amount of natural resources in the North, Russia has the potential necessary to strengthen its presence in the Arctic [8].

Russia's growing attention to the Arctic is manifested in concrete actions, such as the development of infrastructure in the region, including the infrastructure of the Northern Sea Route, the construction of icebreakers, the opening of oil and gas pipelines, the opening of the Arctic to tourism, the promotion of international cooperation for the development of the region and actions aimed at creating a positive image of the country, such as the installation of Russian the flag on the seabed of the North Pole in 2007.

As for the threats under consideration, Russia is increasingly concerned about the consequences of climate change in the Arctic, especially in connection with the melting of permafrost, which could endanger the population and infrastructure in the North [9].

An equally important risk is a significant reduction in the population of the Arctic. The population dynamics of individual Arctic regions of Russia is shown in the table below [10].

Table 3 Population dynamics of individual Arctic subjects of the Russian Federation (in thousands)

 

1989

2002

2010

2015

2020

Murmansk region

1 146

892

842

766

741

Arkhangelsk region

1 570

1 336

1 227

1 183

1 136

Nenets Autonomous District

54

41

42

43

44

Krasnoyarsk Territory

3 596

2 966

2 828

2 858

2 866

Yakutia

1 072

949

958

956

971

Chukotka JSC

157

53

50

50

50

 

Due to the low population density, there is an objective problem of uneven economic development. One of Russia's priorities in the Arctic is to expand and strengthen the economic, infrastructural and technological development of the region. The pioneer in this issue today is Chukotka. As part of the response to threats, the development of the Northern Sea Route and cooperation with other countries, especially with China, in oil and gas and logistics projects in the region are being promoted [11].

In terms of political threats, the most important for Russia is the increase in conflict in the Arctic, in connection with which work has begun on strengthening the military presence of Russian forces, including nuclear forces, in the Arctic [12].

 

Conclusion

 

The world powers are beginning to actively explore the Arctic to use its subsoil and influence the geopolitical situation. It seems possible to reduce the analysis above to several theses:

1) The Arctic region is both a frontier of sustainable economic development and a challenge to it due to the presence of a number of restrictions for development as such;

2)    Among the most serious limitations of the sustainable development of the Arctic, one can note the difficult climatic conditions and low infrastructure development, as well as the actual rejection of private investors' development projects.;

3) The Russian Arctic territories have great potential for resource utilization and further sustainable development, but also face serious problems in the field of infrastructure, demography, economic imbalances and growing conflict.

4) Despite these limitations, the Arctic is becoming one of the key areas of Russia's regional development in the coming decades.

Based on the findings, it is proved that the Arctic region plays a major geo-economic role in modern conditions and determines the policy of the largest world powers in the field of economics.

 

 

 

 

References
1. Denisova, I.V. (2020). The concept of sustainable development of the Arctic region of Russia as a factor in the formation of professional competencies of the future ecologist. Chelovek. Culture. Education, 2(36). Retrieved from https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/kontseptsiya-ustoychivogo-razvitiya-arkticheskogo-regiona-rossii-kak-faktor-formirovaniya-professionalnyh-kompetentsiy-buduschego
2. Arctic Council Leading Intergovernmental Forum promoting cooperation in the Arctic. — Text: electronic. Arctic Council: [website]. — URL: https://www.arctic-council.org/ru/
3. Declaration on the establishment of the Arctic Council of September 19, 1996. — Text: electronic. Electronic fund of legal and regulatory documents: [website]. — URL: https://docs.cntd.ru/document/901880137
4. Heleniak, T., Bogoyavlenskiy, D. Arctic Populations and Migration / Arctic Human Development Report. Regional Processes and Global Linkages. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers, 2014. Pp. 53–104. doi:10.6027/TN2014-567
5. Teras, J., Salenius, V., Fagerlund, L., Stanionyte, L. Smart Specialization in Sparsely Populated European Arctic Regions. Luxembourg: Joint Research Centre, 2018. 50 p. doi:10.2760/960929
6. President of the Russian Federation (2020). On the Strategy of Arctic Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and the Securing of National Security on the Period to 2035
7. Scientists have shown what will happen to Greenland by the year 3000. — Text: electronic // High-tech: [website]. — URL: https://hightech.fm/2022/03/15/greenland-sheet
8. Arctic strategy of Russia until 2035.-Text: electronic. KATEHON: [website]. Retrieved from https://katehon.com/ru/article/arkticheskaya-strategiya-rossii-do-2035-goda
9. Arctic policy of Russia: international aspects. Text: electronic. RosCongress: [website]. — URL: https://roscongress.org/materials/arkticheskaya-politika-rossii-mezhdunarodnye-aspekty/
10. Heleniak, Timothy (2009). Growth poles and ghost towns in the Far North of Russia. Russia and the North, edited by Elana Wilson Rowe, University of Ottawa Press: Ottawa
11. Gao, T., & Erokhin, V. (2020) Sino-Russian cooperation in the field of Arctic shipping and marine engineering. Polar Journal, 10(2), 353-374.
12. Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. Text: electronic. Corporation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic: [website]. Retrieved from https://erdc.ru/about-azrf/
13. Pezard, S. (2017). Maintaining Arctic Cooperation with Russia: Planning for Regional Change in the Far North. Washington D.C.: RAND Corporation.
14. United States Department of Defense (2019). United States Department of Defense Arctic Strategy
15. Karanatova, L. G., Kulev A. Yu. (2022). Socio-Economic Development of the Arctic: Modern Challenges and Priorities, Administrative Consulting, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration. North-West Institute of Management. issue 2. Retrieved from https://ideas.repec.org/a/acf/journl/y2022id1890.html
16. Loginov V. G., & Balashenko V. V. (2016). Assessment of potential and problems of the Arctic development. Journal of new economy, 6(68). Retrieved from https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/assessment-of-potential-and-problems-of-the-arctic-development
17. Stepanov, I., Makarov, I., Makarova, E. et al. (2023). Climate change and challenges to sustainable development in the Russian Arctic. Climate Change, 176, 39. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-023-03512-5
18. Introduction-Arctic Development, In Theory and In Practice. (2018). Retrieved from https://arcticyearbook.com/arctic-yearbook/2018/34-yearbook/2018-arctic-development-in-theory-in-practice/301-introduction-arctic-development-in-theory-and-in-practice
19. Kuchumov, A., Pecheritsa, E., Blazhenkova, N., & Chaikovskaya, A. (2023). Problems and prospects of economic growth in the context of the environmental component of sustainable development in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. E3S Web of Conferences. 378, 06003. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202337806003
20. Heininen, L., Everett, K., Padrtova, B., & Reissell, A. (2020). Arctic Policies and Strategies-Analysis, Synthesis, and Trends. Retrieved from https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/16175/1/ArticReport_WEB_new.pdf
21. Gross M. Arctic meltdown, Current Biology. (2020). Volume 30. Issue 23.pp. R1391-R1393. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.023
22. Toropushina, E.E. (2020). Public-private partnerships in the social sphere of the arctic territories of the USA and Canada. Corporate governance and innovative development of the economy of the North: Bulletin of the Research Center for Corporate Law, Management and Venture Investment of Syktyvkar State University. ¹3. Retrieved from https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/public-private-partnerships-in-the-social-sphere-of-the-arctic-territories-of-the-usa-and-canada
23. Vorotnikov, A. M., Tarasov, B. A. (2019). Public-private partnership as a mechanism of the Russian Arctic zone's sustainable development. IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sc. 302 012146. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/302/1/012146
24. Strategy for the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and ensuring national security for the period up to (2035). Retrieved from http://www.scrf.gov.ru/security/economic/Arctic_stratery/

First Peer Review

Peer reviewers' evaluations remain confidential and are not disclosed to the public. Only external reviews, authorized for publication by the article's author(s), are made public. Typically, these final reviews are conducted after the manuscript's revision. Adhering to our double-blind review policy, the reviewer's identity is kept confidential.
The list of publisher reviewers can be found here.

This article is devoted to one of the most relevant in the current socio-political discourse of the internal development of the Russian Federation, and specifically to the Arctic region as a zone of potential economic growth, including a factor of ensuring structural security in various industries and spheres. In the introduction, the author substantiates the key trends in the development of the Arctic zone, the main problematic issues faced by the indigenous and small peoples of the north. At the same time, it is difficult not to note that the introductory part of the article does not contain a basic research objective, nor does it reflect a number of research tasks that the author seeks to solve. This circumstance affects the fact that the structure of the article is very confusing and does not reflect any consistent presentation of the material. The author touches on several issues - environmental problems, the activities of the Arctic Council, and diplomatic work in the Arctic region - however, it is unclear how these aspects are related to each other, since a single purpose of the study has not been articulated. In this sense, it can be argued that the key requirement for publications in the journals of the Nota Bene publishing house has not been fulfilled - namely, the availability of a scientific research apparatus and a clear structure, goals, objectives, reasonable provisions and conclusions. Thus, it is difficult to determine the theoretical significance of the presented work - and the author in the title indicates precisely the theoretical nature of the research. One of the very significant remarks about the presented article is also that the language of the scientific publication itself is very rough and contains elements of a journalistic style: "it is expensive where it exists at all", "lessons are not always transmitted by region", "The population here is small and remote". "Few places in the world can assert" - it is unclear which places are in question, but places themselves cannot "assert" anything. The author is recommended to use the services of a professional philologist to proofread and correct the text of the article. The list of references is presented by a fairly small number of sources, among which there are practically no serious scientific monographs devoted to sustainable development as a socio-political and economic concept of the region, as well as the Arctic region in particular. The author should study modern sources and use empirical materials, as well as some doctrinal sources, such as concepts, development strategies, national security in relation to the Arctic and others. In general, given the relevance of the topic and some fully described practical regional aspects of the Article, the article has some scientific potential and may be of interest to the readership. At the same time, the author needs to strengthen the aspects related to security, in which case the article will be relevant to the National Security magazine. Taking into account the comments made, I recommend that you finalize the article and send it for publication again after eliminating all the shortcomings and shortcomings.

Second Peer Review

Peer reviewers' evaluations remain confidential and are not disclosed to the public. Only external reviews, authorized for publication by the article's author(s), are made public. Typically, these final reviews are conducted after the manuscript's revision. Adhering to our double-blind review policy, the reviewer's identity is kept confidential.
The list of publisher reviewers can be found here.

The subject of the peer-reviewed study is the problems of conceptualizing the sustainable development of the Arctic region. The author himself calls the "theoretical basis of sustainable development" the subject of his research, which cannot be agreed with: the "theoretical basis" cannot be the subject of research due to the lack of specificity of this expression. At the same time, the purpose of the study is declared to "identify key barriers to the sustainable development of the Arctic", which does not correspond well with the subject. But the article pays a lot of attention to the analysis of the problems of conceptualization of sustainable development, which allows us to consider these problems as the subject of research. Given the enormous riches of the Arctic, as well as the development of means of their extraction, the development of this region will have serious political consequences in the near future, which speaks in favor of the high scientific relevance and practical significance of the reviewed article. Unfortunately, the author did not bother to conduct a theoretical and methodological reflection of his work, which somewhat reduces its scientific value. Nevertheless, it can be understood from the context that historical and institutional approaches were used in the research process (when studying specific institutions regulating relations on sustainable development in the Arctic), as well as critical conceptual and content analysis (when studying normative documents conceptualizing the problem of sustainable development in the region under study). In addition to the above-mentioned basic methods, the use of the method of analyzing secondary statistical data can also be found in the work. In general, the correct application of these methods allowed the author to obtain results with signs of scientific novelty. First of all, we are talking about the identified specifics and problems of conceptualizing the problems of sustainable development of the Arctic in the activities of the Arctic Council. The results of the analysis of the problems of the development of the Russian Arctic territory are also of scientific interest. Finally, the author's forecast about the transformation of the Arctic into an important object of world powers' policy in the near future is interesting. Structurally, the article also does not cause serious complaints: its logic is consistent and reflects the main aspects of the research. Although there are inconsistencies and a mixture of different styles in the rubric (in the allocation of two sections "Results" and "Development of the Russian Arctic territory"; it was necessary either not to allocate a subsection "Development of the Russian ...", or in place of the section "Results" to create several sections "Dynamics of the Arctic population", "Activities of the Arctic Council", etc. D.). The same can be said about the style of the article: on the one hand, it can be qualified as quite scientific, but on the other hand, it is not without some problems. There are a number of stylistic ones in the text (for example, the tautology "... Is based on the ecological reservation of the concept of development, which stipulates ..."; or the conceptually erroneous statement "the problem is poorly studied [presented? What does discourse have to do with learning? – note. rec.] in scientific discourse"; or the stylistically incorrect "it is difficult for him to provide public services" [to provide to whom? – to him; note. rec.]; or stylistically vague and ambiguous expressions, for example: "The world powers are beginning to actively explore the Arctic to use its subsoil and influence the geopolitical situation"; another example: "The analysis above seems possible to reduce to several theses ..." [the results of the analysis? how can an "analysis be reduced to several theses"? – note. rec.]; another example of ambiguity: "Canada and Denmark have the lowest share in the Arctic population, despite their vast territories [territories of what? Are the Arctic in the possession of Canada and Denmark or the territories of the states of Canada and Denmark? – note. rec.]"; etc.) and grammatical (for example, the uncoordinated sentence "Their national jurisdictions and international law regulate land use in the territories surrounding the Arctic Ocean and its waters"; here the pleonasm "Arctic Ocean and its waters"; or the spelling of the term "Arctic region" in one place with a capital letter (the first sentence of the text of the article), and in others – with a lowercase; or a missing comma in a compound sentence "Economic development in the Arctic is ambivalent and can be conditionally divided into the development of industry and local crafts"; or a missing comma after the preposition "despite" in the sentence "Despite the listed restrictions, the Arctic becomes one of ..."; etc.) errors, but in general it is written quite competently, in acceptable Russian, with correct (with some exceptions, as discussed below) use of scientific terminology. Nevertheless, there are some terminological problems in the work. In particular, the term "ecological reservation of the development concept" looks very strange and unscientific when it comes to environmental restrictions imposed on regional economic development. The bibliography includes 24 titles, including sources in foreign languages, and adequately represents the state of research on the subject of the article. The appeal to the opponents takes place in terms of discussing the problems of conceptualizing sustainable development in the Arctic. We should also mention the availability of illustrative material: figures and tables. GENERAL CONCLUSION: the article proposed for review can be qualified as a scientific study that meets the basic requirements for works of this kind. The results obtained by the author correspond to the subject of the journal "National Security / nota bene" and will be of interest to political scientists, sociologists, conflict scientists, regional scientists, specialists in the field of public administration, world politics and international relations, as well as for students of the listed specialties. According to the results of the review, the article is recommended for publication.