''Arctic Oil and Gas: A Regional or Global Concern?''

From The Arctic Institute
By Andreas Osthagen

''The debate on which framework is best suited for Arctic oil and gas cooperation prompts the question of how to define the key actors in Arctic petroleum development. This also prompts the question of how to define relevant participants in an Arctic regulatory debate. The Arctic littoral states have kept emphasising that the Arctic is a regional concern where they have sovereignty and jurisdiction. In contrast to Antarctica, the Arctic is populated and developed, with clearly defined national boundaries and agreements governing its usage. Non-Arctic actors, on the other hand, like China and the European Union, portray the Arctic as a global concern, in need of broader international collaboration. Both points of view are to some extent valid, as the Arctic comprises both national sovereign territories and international waters.''

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