ABSTRACT
Since its first coming to power in 2007, Scotland’s nationalist government, led by the Scottish National Party, has often referred to Scandinavian and Nordic countries, ranging from Iceland in the North West to Finland in the North East, as an “Arc of Prosperity” Scotland should draw inspiration from with regards to economic and social policy. This chapter illustrates the issues of climate change and global warming that are indeed at the core of Scotland’s engagement with Arctic nations and the Arctic region. That is not only because environmental protection is a policy sector in which, typically, non-sovereign nations such as Scotland can play significant roles, but also because the environment and renewable energy happen to be areas of jurisdiction of the Scottish Government. Scotland enjoys substantial paradiplomatic autonomy in the policy areas under the jurisdiction of the SG, notably with regards to trade and investment, tourism, higher education, scientific collaboration, environmental regulation and cooperation.
