Camden Conference President Matt Storin this week gave members of the Camden Rotary Club a preview of the 2021 Camden Conference on The Geopolitics of the Arctic: A Region in Peril. The Conference, to be live-streamed February 20-21, will bring the views of geographically diverse experts representing different aspects of the many issues the Arctic faces.

The topic bears special significance for Maine, which sent 60 delegates, including Governor Janet Mills, to the 2019 Arctic Circle Assembly.

“What happens in the Arctic Circle affects Maine,” said Storin. “Our state rightfully takes a strong interest in all the issues, from oil development, fishing, and climate change to legal issues and national security.”

Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who served as president of Iceland for 20 years, will deliver the keynote address. Other speakers will include Paul A. Mayewski, director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine; Gail Whiteman, founder and executive director of Arctic Basecamp at the World Economic Forum;  Vidar Helgesen, a former minister of climate and environment who will soon take office as executive director of Nobel Foundation: Frances Ulmer, chair of the US Arctic Research Commission; author and Cambridge University Professor Michael Bravo, affiliated with Scott Polar Research Institute; journalist and author Sergei Medvedev, who is a professor at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow; Thomas Nilsen, editor of the Independent Barents Observer, which serves readers in the Russian and Nordic regions of the Arctic; and David Balton, former ambassador for oceans and fisheries in the US Department of State and currently a senior fellow at the Washington-based Polar Institute at the Wilson Center.

Storin noted that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conference will not take place at the Camden Opera House and several satellite locales, as in previous years.

 “The Conference will be on your big TV screen, using the best technology available and providing excellent resolution and sound,” Storin said. “We want to make sure this is a really good experience, and we expect to attract an audience from all over the world of those who are vitally interested in the Arctic region. People will be able to ask questions of all the speakers, and many have already experienced live streaming by attending previous conferences at satellite locations or viewing them from home. He added that, although the Conference will not provide the usual “social quotient” of an in-person gathering, “We do expect people will gather in groups and discuss the issues raised at the conference.”

Conference registration will cost $150. Camden Rotary Club has contributed for many years to a scholarship fund to support student participation each year. For 2021, however,  the Conference will waive registration fees for all high school and college students. Camden Rotarian Bruce Cole, former president of the Camden Conference, thanked members for their ongoing support of the Conference and encouraged them to sign up to attend in February.

The club, which meets via Zoom on Tuesdays, welcomes visitors. For login details, contact Stephanie French: steph.griffinsg00@gmail.com.