ABSTRACT
While climate change is a long-recognized challenge for societies and the environment in the Arctic, some Arctic countries and communities will face an equally big challenge in dealing with the shift away from the fossil fuel-based economy that drives the warming. Arctic oil and gas play into major geopolitical interests and have been a recurring focus of media interest in the region. Given this background, the chapter analyses the role a regional international governance body such as the Arctic Council could play in moving toward a post-petroleum future. The track record so far does not provide cause for optimism but there are signs in some media coverage that new discourses are emerging. Furthermore, the Arctic Council has the potential to build on earlier work related to adaptive capacity and resilience, and thereby provide a venue for exploring the benefits of moving away from economic dependency on the global demand for Arctic oil and gas.
