Environmental Risk Analysis of Arctic Activities

Abstract

Risk assessment has traditionally been used in a narrow context. Quantifying impacts on human health from substances released into the environment is one example. This report presents a qualitative risk matrix which eight Arctic nations are using to identify and assess potential environmental hazards. Additionally, the report assesses whether existing agreements or legal instruments address the problems posed by these hazards. This assessment employs the concept of a risk matrix to identify and analyze gaps in environmental protection provided by multilateral, regional, bilateral and national instruments applicable to the Arctic. The matrix and the methodology are "living" documents intended for use as generic and broadly applicable policy decision-making tools. The development of the matrix and the analysis of the data in the matrix are the first phase in a three-phase process for addressing environmental problems. The three phases are described in more detail on page 5 of this report.