ABSTRACT
The key conundrum for risk governance in the Arctic is to address the region's exceptional – and at times seemingly incompatible – social and geophysical characteristics in ways that "normalize" the Arctic's future geography. This chapter highlights "risk governance takes place in contexts that are historically, spatially and institutionally situated". Risk governance is not limited to structuring practices, but is itself embedded within practices that are contingent and agent-driven productions. By examining particular aspects of the Barents Sea Agreement, followed then by a discussion of the evolution of the Arctic Council this chapter explores – through the voices and actions of diverse Arctic stakeholders –systemic risk governance as a negotiation among actors, their multilevel institutional constraints, and their routinization of trust and cooperation. The chapter discusses the normalization of the Arctic's future geography is, ultimately, the underlying risk conundrum. The Arctic Council continues to evolve as the Arctic experiences changing circumstances.
