Dr Michael Bravo

BEng (Carleton), MPhil, PhD

My research examines a wide range of issues in history and public policy relating to the Polar Regions. At the present moment, the consensus of experts is that the Arctic and Antarctic are politically, legally and culturally ‘worlds apart’ in spite of being historically linked through exploration. My group’s work is concerned mainly with the Arctic which has been much in the news because of its oil and gas reserves, as well as the impact of climate change on its predominantly coastal inhabitants. The future of their ecological systems are now experiencing the impacts of climate change in ways that matter to the rest of the world: the melting of sea ice, the freshening of the Arctic Ocean, the shifting of Arctic ocean currents, and the release of methane from the tundra are just a few of the phenomena that link our future in the temperate latitudes of Europe to the Arctic. My own recent work has contributed to international debates about the importance of science and conservation in the governance of the Arctic. Traditionally the Arctic Council has enabled Arctic states and indigenous groups to adopt a ‘light touch’ system of regional governance relying mainly on scientific cooperation. Under the pressure of increased resource extraction and shipping, a more sophisticated and coordinated system of environmental monitoring is needed but can only be achieved on the basis of international cooperation. My writing explores how ideas like regional citizenship can encourage steps towards crossing traditional national boundaries, so that a new form of international scientific governance can take root and prosper.