Camden Conference

About the Camden Conference

The Camden Conference is a renowned global citizens' forum and one the largest of its kind in the U.S. Now in its 34th year, the Conference offers an opportunity to learn from and engage with leading experts on issues that affect our lives and our world. The Conference takes place live at the Camden Opera House in Camden, ME, and the organization oversees several livestream venues in Maine.

Topic

The 2021 Camden Conference will explore the Arctic, one of the world’s least-known regions. The Arctic already is undergoing dramatic, irreversible changes traceable to global warming, and as these changes impact the pace of climate change, they forewarn of the challenges ahead for human, animal and plant habitats in this and other regions.

We will examine how this transformation of the Arctic is creating a new arena for global power and competition. With the retreating ice mass will come new opportunities to pursue exploration and extraction of vast resources. Will there be unregulated competition, or cooperation among governments and industries? What kinds of security challenges will come with ice-free borders? The territories of eight nations extend into the Arctic, but others —especially China— will assert rights of access and passage. Open waters will make shipping between Pacific and Atlantic ports much cheaper. What could all this mean for Maine with its accessible northern ports, maritime industry, and vulnerable location on a rising ocean?

Speakers

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (Keynote Speaker) 

Paul A. Mayewski

Gail Whiteman

Vidar Helgesen

Frances Ulmer

Michael Bravo

Sergei Medvedev

Thomas Nilsen

David Balton

Gunn-Britt Retter