Professor Tanja Joona from the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland has been appointed programme director of the ARCTIC programme under the Strategic Research Council (SRC), an independent body established within the Research Council of Finland(RCF).

The Changing Arctic Region (ARCTIC) examines the ongoing, multi-layered changes in the Arctic region that result from climate change, geopolitical tensions and economic interests. The six-year SRC programmes, which are now getting under way, will continue until the autumn of 2032.

The four consortia selected for the programme will study the effects of changes in the Arctic region on, for example, Arctic security and the environment, community livelihoods, natural resources and their use, as well as culture and tourism. They will also engage in close dialogue and cooperation with regional actors such as local and Indigenous communities. The consortia involve ten research fields and twelve organisations.

– The future of the Arctic is currently being defined on several levels at the same time. Climate change, security policy changes, the demand for natural resources and communities’ own development efforts are intertwined in ways that challenge both decision-making and research. The aim of the ARCTIC programme is to produce research-based knowledge that will help build the future of the region in a sustainable, just and collaborative manner with the people affected by the changes, Professor Tanja Joona says.

Joona’s research focuses on the sustainability transition in the Arctic, adaptation to climate change in a changing geopolitical environment, and issues related to societal resilience, overall security and security of supply. Joona also leads the REBOUND consortium, funded by the SRC and operating under the JUST TRANSITION programme (2023-2029), which studies the justice of the green transition, especially in issues related to land use in Northern Finland.