The Atlantic Council and Ecologic Institute, through their Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy Network (ELEEP – www.eleep.eu) launched the Arctic Climate Change Emerging Leaders (ACCEL) Fellowship in the spring of 2014. The Fellowship aims to train the next generation of Arctic Ambassadors and is a unique summer opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, interested in building careers focused on international security, environmental issues, shipping and trade, energy and natural resources, or public relations and diplomacy.
Over the course of the summer, ACCEL Fellows work at the nexus between policy and communications to raise public awareness about critical but under-discussed issues in the Arctic using intuitive, easy-to-understand mediums such as video, infographics, podcasts, and blogs. Substantively, the program focuses on transatlantic cooperation in addressing the following challenges:
- The human impacts of climate change and Arctic development on indigenous populations;
- Economic development, including resource exploration and extraction, and Arctic shipping;
- The science of Arctic climate change and environmental implications; and
- The Geopolitics and Security Challenges in the Arctic due to climate change
In the program’s first year, fellows will work in partnership with Ecologic Institute’s Arctic Summer College (http://arcticsummercollege.org/), as well as partners and experts around the globe, to produce dynamic content that will be compiled into an “Arctic 101” series. The fellowship will conclude with a special event at the Arctic Circle Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Fellows were selected via an online competition that engaged over 115,000 people worldwide. To follow their work and learn more about the fellowship and the competition you can follow the program on twitter @ArcticAmb, Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ACCELProgram, or check out the ACCEL blog here: http://accelfellowship.wordpress.com/. See below for more information on the fellows.
Meet the 2014 ACCEL Fellows
Dayanita Ramesh
Dayanita is the ACCEL North America Fellow, and is based at The Atlantic Council in Washington D.C. Dayanita is a recent graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where she received her M.A. in International Relations and Economics. Dayanita concentrated in Canadian Studies and International Conflict Management and is interested in climate change, the environment and indigenous peoples of the Arctic. She most recently interned at IHS Energy (formerly PFC Energy) where she researched offshore exploration of hydrocarbons. Dayanita hopes one day to work for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or perhaps be a part of the US delegation to the Arctic Council.
Quote: “The Arctic is a frontier, much like the former American West, but should avoid the same rapid and corrupt development. We need strong, democratic, multilateral and environmentally minded government structures that will prevent the undo influences of the loudest voices and amplify those voices that are the quietest and most honest. The Arctic can be a model of cooperation and collaboration if all voices are listened to.”
Eleonora Milazzo
Eleonora is the ACCEL Europe Fellow, and is based at Ecologic Institute in Berlin. She is an Italian national currently working towards a double masters in International Relations from MGIMO University in Moscow and LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome. Eleonora’s studies include concentrations in Global Security, Russian Energy, Diplomacy, and Security, and Arctic Cooperation. Her thesis focuses on Arctic Cooperation and Natural Resources Management. Before accepting the ACCEL Fellowship, Eleonora worked as an intern and blogger on international and Arctic issues at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC). Eleonora is the co-founder of the Strategic Analysis Club and associated journal at MGIMO and speaks five languages.
Quote: “The Arctic is going to face transboundary challenges connected to climate change. The opening of navigation in the Northern Sea Route and the prospect of commercial fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean call for improved legal regulation. The potential of this region and its fragile ecosystem must be preserved by combining a strong leadership of the Arctic Council with enhanced international cooperation. As a young researcher, I see the Arctic Summer College as a unique opportunity to gain new perspectives on Arctic governance and sustainability.”