Proposed focus:

This session will examine the institutional interplay and balancing of national and international interests in the Arctic and Antarctic, common interests in international spaces, science diplomacy, as well as issues of surrounding conservation and environmental protection in the polar regions.  A special feature will be the increasing role of the social sciences, especially in the Arctic but emerging in the Antarctic as well. Furthermore, the discussions will incorporate research on the impacts of human activities on the Antarctic environment along with management priorities aiming at environmental protection in face of increasing human activity.