research. training. advocacy.

Menu
Articles in other sources | Breaking

Is the Arctic the new Wild West?

For Equal Times

Pavel Lvov/Sputnik via AFP

Like the new space race, the current push into the territories north of the Arctic Circle increasingly resembles the Wild West, both in terms of the appetizing terrain it presents for exploitation and the unrestrained competition currently taking place between adventurers and entrepreneurs of all kinds. And, at present, no sufficiently solid legal framework currently exists to prevent the potential problems that lie ahead, include the possibility of direct violent clashes.

None other than the climate crisis is responsible for unleashing this now unstoppable process. The Arctic is warming at a rate three times faster than the average for the rest of the planet. This means serious sustainability problems, above all for the 4.2 million people living in the region and the fauna and flora of this demanding and delicate environment, and, by extension, for the rest of the planet.

Read the full article

Related publications