The autumn issue of Lapland UAS’s online journal, Lumen, focuses on the theme “Building Resilience in the Arctic.” This English-language issue explores the concept of resilience through twenty expert articles.

Resilience is generally understood as the ability to successfully adapt to stress and adversity. It can be viewed either as a characteristic of an individual or community, or as a dynamic process. The concept of resilience is applied in various fields, including business, the built urban environment, energy systems, and emergency preparedness.

Issue 3/2026 of Lumen focuses specifically on Arctic resilience. According to the issue’s guest editor, Leading Researcher Anssi Tarkiainen, climate change is the most significant driver of change in the Arctic region; however, resilience is also challenged by population decline and aging, labor shortages, and the out-migration of young people. He writes:

“These trends can weaken local capacities for innovation, service provision, and economic diversification. Remote locations, long distances, and dependence on external infrastructure and supply chains further increase vulnerability to disruptions. All this calls for building resilience in the Arctic.”

Contributing as columnists in this issue are Kalle Kankaanpää, Ambassador for Arctic Affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, and Tanja Joona, Professor of Arctic Sustainability Science at the University of Lapland.

According to Kalle Kankaanpää, resilience—the capacity to withstand disruptions—is an inherent characteristic of communities in Finland, particularly in Lapland. Nevertheless, it is the duty of state and municipal authorities to ensure the continuity of society’s critical functions. He writes:

“What is certain is that we need to pay more attention to resilience at all levels of society, local communities and households. This is especially important in the Arctic region, where long distances and harsh weather conditions may add extra dimension to the difficulties arising.”

Tanja Joona, for her part, examines the question of resilience from the perspective of human communities and justice. The significance of resilience also extends to whether people can influence the direction of change.

“Simply being able to withstand external pressures is too narrow an ambition for a region whose future is often shaped by decisions made far from local everyday realities”, she writes.

In the articles authored by experts from the university of applied sciences, the theme of resilience is examined from the perspectives of individuals, society, and companies and organizations across various sectors.

Lumen Journal is available on www.lumenlehti.fi.

Lumen

Lumen Journal is a publication forum for the experts of the north and it promotes, for its own part, the open accessibility of the results of the R&D activities of Lapland UAS. This is also the idea behind the name of the jounal – Lumen, which is Latin for light.

Lumen is published three times a year and each issue has a specific main theme. The next issue of the journal, which focuses on customs, operating models, and cultural conceptions, will be published in February 2027.