ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the possibilities for resource development benefiting the long-term sustainability of northern communities. It reviews a promising area of literature examining gender and resource governance. As the world economy continues to expand, demand for energy and other natural resources is increasing. Reserves of some resources such as oil are becoming more difficult to replace. Resource production represents a threat to the northern environment upon which the traditional economy of the region’s Indigenous population depend. As the twentieth century progressed, increased access to the Arctic led to increased resource exploitation. The development of natural resources in Northern Russia under the Soviet Union was done to provide the materials necessary for an isolated Soviet Union to industrialize.