Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2024 21:44:01 GMT
Abstract
The pandemic caused by the deadly Coronavirus has spread across the entire world, impacting the lives and livelihood of billions of people living in different regions. Even the Arctic and Subarctic regions are also not exempted from the spread and effect of this pandemic. In this study, we emphasize the COVID-19 pandemic situation of the Arctic and Subarctic regions. Even though the population density of these regions is significantly less, the eminent impact due to COVID-19 remains the same, perhaps more, considering the harsh weather, less communication, and health facilities. We have analyzed seasonal pandemic scenarios, risks, governance responses, and resilience of the locals as well as governments in and around the Arctic and Subarctic regions of Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States (Alaska). Despite these regions being extreme, the results reveal that the devastating effect of the pandemic remains almost the same at par with the context of the significantly lower population density. However, the governance shows a silver lining during this period, proving that humankind can win any battle for its sustenance with proper governance and management actions.
1. Introduction
The Arctic region, located around the North Pole, is distinctive in the Earth's ecosystems. Even though exact coordinates of the Arctic region are available, demographic demarcation of that region with its southern boundary is challenging. The southern region from the Arctic is widely known as the Subarctic region, the demographic demarcation of which is also tough to establish. A circle of global landmasses and sizable islands encircles the frosty Arctic Ocean over the North Pole that includes the northern part of Asia (Siberian Region of Russia), Scandinavia of the European continent, and a part of Canada and the whole Alaska of North America along with large islands and other landmasses like Nova Zemlya (Russia), Spitsbergen (Norway), Iceland, Finland, Greenland (Denmark), and the Queen Elizabeth Islands (Canada). All these areas were the primary focus of this chapter. Except for the United States and Denmark, where Alaska and Greenland were considered, respectively, the complete demographics of all other countries in these areas, consisting of Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden, were considered even though part of their area is within the Arctic and Subarctic regions. For this present study, the cut-off date was considered as December 12, 2020.
The Arctic and Subarctic regions are homelands of the northern Indigenous group of people, each group has its own cultural distinction. They survive the cold by wrapping themselves in thick fur and consuming primarily greasy seal flesh.
Eskimos are a distinct tribe of Siberia, the Arctic North American area, and Greenland, who live in an igloo made of solid snow, hunt the tundra, and fish the frozen Arctic seas in kayaks. The word Eskimo has come to symbolize an idealized picture of Eskimos as fur-clad hunters who dwell in igloos rather than a diverse set of polar civilizations who share their far-northern latitude. Today, native populations of Arctic Siberia and Alaska want to be referred to as “Indigenous,” meaning “the people.”
Apart from them, there are many other Subarctic Indigenous people groups, some of which include Dene, Cree, Ojibwa, Atikamekw, Innu, and Beothuk from Canada; Chukchi, Evens, Enets, Nganasan, Selkup, and Koryaks from Russia; Finns and Karelians from Finland; Icelanders from Iceland; Norwegians from Norway; Sami from Sweden; Inuit and Kalaallit from Greenland (Denmark); and Aleut, Cup'ik, Cup'ig, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, and Yupik from Alaska (US).
Historical data state that different pandemics have seriously impacted this region in the past, and the mortality rates were relatively high as compared to the South Polar Region (Arctic Council, 2020). Arctic region also hosts huge, vulnerable elderly persons, and most of them suffer from diabetes (Jørgensen, 2010). Besides, the remote part of the Arctic region can only be accessed either by air or sea as surface transportation is relatively low and difficult. Moreover, unpredictable weather conditions result in low visibility, causing hindrance in transportation services like airplanes, ships, and even cars.
According to Arctic Athabaskan Council, both the physical, mental, and spiritual health of the inhabitants of the Arctic have been deviously affected due to the pandemic as they have been facing months of isolation, stress, and trauma (Barry et al., 2020).
Almost after 2 months of the birth of COVID-19, the first case of Coronavirus was recorded on February 21 in the Arctic region of Norway (Petrov et al., 2020). At the beginning of March, cases were registered in Iceland, Finland, and Alaska. By the third week of March, it spread over the Arctic region of Russia. According to research carried out by Petrov and his fellow researchers, the whole Arctic region had 53,056 confirmed COVID cases with 548 deaths till July 1, 2020.
Trends and dimensions of the Coronavirus in the Arctic have been decided with the help of accurate data. Iceland, Northern Finland, the Northern part of Norway, and the Faroe Islands experienced COVID cases in the initial phase, but it was eradicated early by imposing strict quarantine rules and other restrictions. On the other hand, northern parts of Sweden and Alaska succumbed to the recent onslaught of COVID and remained infected for a comparably longer duration.
In Arctic Russia, the pandemic stuck late but had a fetal effect with a high mortality rate. The Arctic region of Canada and Greenland had no such significant effect of Coronavirus (Fig. 11.1).
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780323992770000309
The pandemic caused by the deadly Coronavirus has spread across the entire world, impacting the lives and livelihood of billions of people living in different regions. Even the Arctic and Subarctic regions are also not exempted from the spread and effect of this pandemic. In this study, we emphasize the COVID-19 pandemic situation of the Arctic and Subarctic regions. Even though the population density of these regions is significantly less, the eminent impact due to COVID-19 remains the same, perhaps more, considering the harsh weather, less communication, and health facilities. We have analyzed seasonal pandemic scenarios, risks, governance responses, and resilience of the locals as well as governments in and around the Arctic and Subarctic regions of Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States (Alaska). Despite these regions being extreme, the results reveal that the devastating effect of the pandemic remains almost the same at par with the context of the significantly lower population density. However, the governance shows a silver lining during this period, proving that humankind can win any battle for its sustenance with proper governance and management actions.
1. Introduction
The Arctic region, located around the North Pole, is distinctive in the Earth's ecosystems. Even though exact coordinates of the Arctic region are available, demographic demarcation of that region with its southern boundary is challenging. The southern region from the Arctic is widely known as the Subarctic region, the demographic demarcation of which is also tough to establish. A circle of global landmasses and sizable islands encircles the frosty Arctic Ocean over the North Pole that includes the northern part of Asia (Siberian Region of Russia), Scandinavia of the European continent, and a part of Canada and the whole Alaska of North America along with large islands and other landmasses like Nova Zemlya (Russia), Spitsbergen (Norway), Iceland, Finland, Greenland (Denmark), and the Queen Elizabeth Islands (Canada). All these areas were the primary focus of this chapter. Except for the United States and Denmark, where Alaska and Greenland were considered, respectively, the complete demographics of all other countries in these areas, consisting of Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden, were considered even though part of their area is within the Arctic and Subarctic regions. For this present study, the cut-off date was considered as December 12, 2020.
The Arctic and Subarctic regions are homelands of the northern Indigenous group of people, each group has its own cultural distinction. They survive the cold by wrapping themselves in thick fur and consuming primarily greasy seal flesh.
Eskimos are a distinct tribe of Siberia, the Arctic North American area, and Greenland, who live in an igloo made of solid snow, hunt the tundra, and fish the frozen Arctic seas in kayaks. The word Eskimo has come to symbolize an idealized picture of Eskimos as fur-clad hunters who dwell in igloos rather than a diverse set of polar civilizations who share their far-northern latitude. Today, native populations of Arctic Siberia and Alaska want to be referred to as “Indigenous,” meaning “the people.”
Apart from them, there are many other Subarctic Indigenous people groups, some of which include Dene, Cree, Ojibwa, Atikamekw, Innu, and Beothuk from Canada; Chukchi, Evens, Enets, Nganasan, Selkup, and Koryaks from Russia; Finns and Karelians from Finland; Icelanders from Iceland; Norwegians from Norway; Sami from Sweden; Inuit and Kalaallit from Greenland (Denmark); and Aleut, Cup'ik, Cup'ig, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, and Yupik from Alaska (US).
Historical data state that different pandemics have seriously impacted this region in the past, and the mortality rates were relatively high as compared to the South Polar Region (Arctic Council, 2020). Arctic region also hosts huge, vulnerable elderly persons, and most of them suffer from diabetes (Jørgensen, 2010). Besides, the remote part of the Arctic region can only be accessed either by air or sea as surface transportation is relatively low and difficult. Moreover, unpredictable weather conditions result in low visibility, causing hindrance in transportation services like airplanes, ships, and even cars.
According to Arctic Athabaskan Council, both the physical, mental, and spiritual health of the inhabitants of the Arctic have been deviously affected due to the pandemic as they have been facing months of isolation, stress, and trauma (Barry et al., 2020).
Almost after 2 months of the birth of COVID-19, the first case of Coronavirus was recorded on February 21 in the Arctic region of Norway (Petrov et al., 2020). At the beginning of March, cases were registered in Iceland, Finland, and Alaska. By the third week of March, it spread over the Arctic region of Russia. According to research carried out by Petrov and his fellow researchers, the whole Arctic region had 53,056 confirmed COVID cases with 548 deaths till July 1, 2020.
Trends and dimensions of the Coronavirus in the Arctic have been decided with the help of accurate data. Iceland, Northern Finland, the Northern part of Norway, and the Faroe Islands experienced COVID cases in the initial phase, but it was eradicated early by imposing strict quarantine rules and other restrictions. On the other hand, northern parts of Sweden and Alaska succumbed to the recent onslaught of COVID and remained infected for a comparably longer duration.
In Arctic Russia, the pandemic stuck late but had a fetal effect with a high mortality rate. The Arctic region of Canada and Greenland had no such significant effect of Coronavirus (Fig. 11.1).
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780323992770000309