Chapter5 Arctic Climate Change: Security Challenges and Stewardship Opportunities

摘要

Climate change in the Arctic is creating complex new security challenges, primarily environmental and political. There is concern that melting Arctic sea ice could trigger a new "great game" of international power politics as nations race to extend their Arctic Ocean territorial shelf claims and extract the abundance of newly accessible natural resources. These concerns are exaggerated in light of the commitment of Arctic coastal states to institutional solutions through the Arctic Council, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and diplomacy. Indeed, there are few, if any, concrete signs of military buildups or increased tensions amongst Arctic coastal states. And, the global economic downturn following the financial crisis starting in 2008 seems to have slowed the economic but perhaps not the strategic pressure for development of Arctic energy and mineral resources. This, however, may only be temporary. All these factors give the international community the opportunity to deal with Arctic security challenges before they result in tension, confrontation and environmental damage.