Abstract
Business opportunities in the European High North (EHN) are accompanied by the danger of cyber-threats, especially to critical infrastructures which in these Arctic regions become “extra critical” because of the harsh environmental climatic conditions and remoteness of distances. Critical infrastructures (CI) in the EHN are crucial for numerous sectors, such as the energy sector which is completely depended on digitalization, internet and computers’ commands. Such a new condition of extra criticality should also include human security concerns to avoid human disasters. An effective legal framework under “exceptionally critically infrastructure conditions” (ECIC) for this technology is important not only in terms of national legislation, but also in view of a regional, international and global networks character. This paper links for the first time, law, internet and cybersecurity, environment and society in a global human security dimension in a multi-regulatory contextual analysis. The aim is to trace the legal framework for response to a cyber-attack to critical infrastructure in the energy sector and takes Norway as a case study because this country is highly dependent on cyber technology and on critical infrastructures. The question of research is: using a human security focus in the case of cyber-threats under ECIC in the EHN, what ways can an assessment recommend to improve international, and regional law? Five analytical tasks are undertaken: 1) the concept of critical infrastructure vulnerability to cyber-attacks under “exceptionally critically infrastructure conditions” (ECIC) in the EHN with focus on the energy sector is explained in connection to the notion of human security, 2) a backdrop of regional and international collaboration is followed, 3) a trajectory of multilevel contextual analysis of the different sources of law and policy applicable to cyber-threats to CI is outlined, and 4) an examination of cooperation under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Highlights
Economic development opportunities in the European High North1 (EHN) are accompanied by the danger of cyber-threats, especially to critical infrastructures (CIs) which in the Arctic EHN countries become “extra critical” because of environmental threats including the harsh environmental climatic conditions and the vast distances.2 Such a new condition of extra criticality should include human security concerns to avoid human disasters
A broader notion of human security in the case of the EHN would include special features that provide protection for people living in close contact with the environment and climatic conditions which are more exposed to the impact of cyber-attacks
The need to defend these CIs under attack from foreign nations, or some individual or some groups of people will arise
Summary
Economic development opportunities in the European High North (EHN) are accompanied by the danger of cyber-threats, especially to critical infrastructures (CIs) which in the Arctic EHN countries become “extra critical” because of environmental threats including the harsh environmental climatic conditions and the vast distances. Such a new condition of extra criticality should include human security concerns to avoid human disasters. Even adaptation plans from a climate change law and policy perspectives, will be difficult to draw, especially from a proactive approach rather than reactive Such problems, might even lead us to think about a new idea to enlarge the notion of adaptation to climate change, in order to include in it, cyber-threats as well, and their consequence on the environment and human security, since energy critical infrastructure are closely woven into environmental climatic conditions, and cannot be managed and regulated one at a time for the sake of human security and to avoid human disasters. A broader notion of human security in the case of the EHN would include special features that provide protection for people living in close contact with the environment and climatic conditions which are more exposed to the impact of cyber-attacks This mainly because of the proximity and the nexus among Arctic critical infrastructures in the energy sector under ECIC, energy resources and indigenous style life, which need special legal protection. Such a threshold-based approach useful to establish when it can be established that human security is at threat and that limit threats by their severity rather than their cause, still need to be fixed
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