Frederick van der Ploeg’s opening speech at the UArctic Congress  

Frederick van der Ploeg is Director of the SPbU “Economic Performance and Environment” laboratory, Professor of the Department of Economics, University of Oxford, addressed the UArctic Congress:

“Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We are in a historic moment in time. Both China and the US have agreed to ratify the Paris agreement to limit global warming to 2 degrees and move in direction of 1.5 degrees Celsius. If at least 55 countries responsible for at least 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the world spurs into action. For the oil and gas producers of the world, the Gulf, Nigeria, Algeria, Russia and many others, this raises the key question: race to burn the last ton of carbon or transform to renewable energies. I wish all of you success in discussing this and many other questions in ecology. Have a happy and inspirational conference!”

Background Info:

The first-ever Congress of the University of the Arctic was held at St Petersburg University on September 12-16, 2016.  The Congress’s five-day programme featured research conferences, UArctic’s Rector and Student Forums, presentation of the unique book on marine geosciences, a number of master classes for young scientists, discussions and others.

The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is a cooperative network of 180 universities, colleges, research institutes and other organisations from 16 countries concerned with education and research in and about the North. UArctic builds and strengthens collective resources and collaborative infrastructure that enables member institutions to better serve their constituents and their regions. Through cooperation in education, research and outreach we enhance human capacity in the North, promote viable communities and sustainable economies, and forge global partnerships.