1. The EU Arctic Research policy and the role of INTAROS
Andrea Tilche
Head of the Climate Action and Earth Observation Unit
European Commission - DG Research and Innovation
INTAROS project kick-off meeting
Bergen, Norway - 11 January 2017

2. The EU Arctic research and innovation policy contributes to three priority areas identified in the Joint Communication on integrated EU Arctic policy adopted in April 2016.

3. In fact, research and innovation is a key component of them, namely: 1) Climate Change and Safeguarding the Arctic Environment; 2) Sustainable Development in and around the Arctic; and 3) International Cooperation on Arctic Issues.
Science, in the Arctic, has demonstrated to be a mean for diplomacy, for maintaining a positive dialogue among countries even during periods of difficult geopolitical tensions.

4. Science in the COP21 decision and in the Paris Agreement
Asks the IPCC to provide a Special Report on 1.5°C impacts and pathways in order to inform the "facilitative dialogue" foreseen in 2018, and to contribute the "global stocktake" exercise.
Asks Parties to accelerate mitigation and adaptation efforts "in accordance with best available science".
Calls for strengthening cooperation in research, systematic observation and early warning systems that inform climate services and support decision-making.
Recalls the importance of technology development and transfer and innovation for an effective global response to climate change.
Moreover, science was essential to achieve the Paris Agreement, and it has a very relevant role in its implementation.
The Arctic, being the place on Earth where climate change runs faster, has to show to the rest of the world the danger of delayed action.
Moreover, with the changes in the US administration, Europe shall be more present than before, and in post-truth times, scientific evidence on climate change shall be presented with the highest relief.

5. Support science for the IPCC Reports
Within the 6th Assessment Report (AR6) cycle (WGI April 2021, WGIII July 2021, WGII October 2022), 3 Special Reports (SR) have been decided:
1.5°C warming impacts and pathways (Sept. 2018);
Ocean and the Cryosphere (Sept. 2019);
Agriculture, land use, land degradation, … (Sept. 2019)
Calls for proposals on IPCC gaps should lead to publications at least 6 months before the Reports' approval
For this we think that more than before we have to contribute with the best science to the current IPCC cycle

6. International cooperation
The Arctic, and its interplay with the Atlantic, is part of the Transatlantic Ocean (and Arctic) Research Alliance launched by the Galway declaration in May Two Arctic Working Groups have been established in 2014 with the US and Canada respectively, and INTAROS is the result of a call that derives from this Alliance.
Mention all the other.
Main deliverable presented at the ASM1, it will be one of the largest projects contributing to YOPP, it will engage and deliver on SAON objectives, and by providing free and open access to data will contribute to GEOSS.
GEOSS – Global Earth Observation System of Systems -
Cold Regions Initiative

7. The Role of INTAROS
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8. Rapid Arctic changes are impacting its own fragile ecosystem, and are also, on a broader scale, influencing global changes to the climate system and to sea level.
Arctic research and observation are essential to monitor and predict the evolution of these changes.

9. Arctic science challenges demand a pan-Arctic approach and long-term commitment that go beyond the average research project duration.
It is fundamental to move toward a sustained Arctic observation system.
In order to look at the global drivers and the consequences of Arctic changes on the physical, biological and human sphere, observations cannot be confined to the Arctic and should be linked to global systems such as GEOSS.

10. The EU aims at developing an Integrated Arctic Observing System that will help to address global challenges.
With INTAROS and the deployment of Copernicus services, we are now leading in the domain of Arctic observations, and we have to exploit at best all the actions that the EU is financing.

11. EU major Arctic science investor
Leading in Arctic observation: major contributor to the outcomes of the Arctic Observing Summit 2016
Key player and recognised leader on Arctic observation at the White House Arctic Science Ministerial
Of course INTAROS is an important piece of a larger puzzle that the EC is creating through its long track record of Arctic funded projects.
It was at the last AOS 2016 in Fairbanks, that we proposed to work together with others to quantify costs and benefits of an integrated Aosystem, preparing a sort of Impact Assessment, as the only way to convince governments to invest in long-term operational observations. This concept was re-stated at the ASM1, where Europe was recognised as leader in Arctic observations.

12. The EU with other European "H2020" partners put on the table the most concrete deliverables, such as INTAROS, together with the Horizon 2020 cluster of new projects (APPLICATE and BLUE ACTION) working for building an integrated Arctic observing system.
In fact, the EU and the H2020 partner countries …

13. 12-13 Jan 2017: International Arctic-Observing Assessment Framework Workshop Washington DC, USA. The workshop will define Arctic-specific societal benefit areas and key objectives. Key step to justify increased observation networks and sustained measurements of physical, biological and social processes.
Our proposal of an Impact Assessment was adopted by SAON that tomorrow is having an important meeting in Washington
SAON in this context has a very important role to play, in particular on issues as what, where and how to observe, on data interoperability, etc.
However, a higher political level will help to move - from project-based - to integrated, shared and stable operational activities addressing jointly identified priorities.

14. 29-30 Mar 2017: Arctic Workshop of the Transatlantic Ocean Research Alliance – Brussels, BE.
Objective: establishment of strategies and international efforts to develop an integrated Arctic observing system.
Session on:
"Key Arctic Change variables for an integrated Arctic observing system serving scientific and operational purposes ".
"Status of data availability and strategies to build an integrated data access platform".
And we are trying to keep the momentum by enlarging the cooperation around the three projects that we have already funded with the 2016 call (+2017 on permafrost).

15. We are working to co-host a 2nd Arctic Science Ministerial in the autumn 2018, in Europe.
Through INTAROS and other on-going and future actions, we aim at showing:
concrete actions to advance towards sustained Arctic observations
an impact assessment of Arctic observations.
The objective is to provide governments, with the "business case" for long-term commitment in Arctic observations.
As I said, a higher political level is needed to move from episodic, project-level activities, to longer-term, coordinated actions.
And what happens in the Arctic cannot remain, in terms of science, only within Arctic countries, because the drivers of what happens, and the impacts, are global.
This is why the ASM1 was a very positive novelty, and we wish to proceed in this direction.
INTAROS – with the other projects funded by the EU (also INTERACT and EU-PolarNET) represented a key deliverable of ASM1 in programmatic terms, and it has to start delivering for showing, at ASM2, concrete actions and the business case for operational observations.

16. In Conclusion: INTAROS:
a key project for deploying European Arctic research strategy objectives
Key deliverable of ASM1 and ASM2
Strong engagement with SAON
Key contribution to GEOSS
We look forward to work with you!

17. Thanks for your attention and best wishes for your work
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