The Arctic Ocean Is A Potential Hot Spot For Future Conflict Between Major Powers

So legally we do own parts of the Arctic but what about after 12 miles? Well there is another set of laws in the UNCLOS act. There is a 200 nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone around

The arctic is estimated to be ice free by 2030 due to global warming and the melting of the ice caps.

Humans have been interacting with the Arctic tundra for centuries now. They have used the land to explore and race, for example, the infamous race between Admunsen and Scott to the South pole. However, the human civilisation on the Arctic tundra have had their implications, both severe and light. Humans have slaughtered whales and seals since very early days, for food as well as commercial and self-profiting purposes. The most recent and paramount problem is global warming and pollution, which is harming the Arctic Tundra far more than the sealing and whaling ever did.

The snowshoe hare needs protection due to its sheer importance in the ecosystem’s food web. Humans, by oil drilling, will negatively impact not only the snowshoe hare, but one of the world’s greatest arctic wildlife reserves. Protecting the snowshoe hare will also increase biodiversity in the ecosystem. Humanity should be careful about fossil fuel exploration and not squander its precious wildlife refuges. By doing this, it can ensure that ANWR- and its unique snowshoe hare- lives on for future

As important as it is, Arctic coastal sea ice plays a vital role in dynamics of the coastline, covers stretches of open water which serve as important biological habitats, and serves as a platform for a broad range of activities by residents and industries (Druckenmiller et al., 2009). Sea ice is also important because it is used as a platform for harvesting seals and whales in spring, transport of personnel and supplies to camps, and as a network of trails (Druckenmiller et al., 2009). Dangerous effects of climate change include “ice breakouts” which are when large chunks of ice that whalers are using as working areas break off of the main ice blocks and take whaling camps out to sea (Druckenmiller et al.,

At the present rate of global warming most of the frozen portions of the Arctic may disappear by the end of this century.

Have you ever wanted to spend months in temperatures that regularly are -30°? Many people cannot stand cold temperatures such as 32° even just for the couple minutes it takes while they are walking from their car to the store. In the story “Extreme Research Shows How Arctic Ice Is Dwindling” by Andy Isaacson he discusses how the arctic ice is dwindling, what will happen as a result of that and then finally about his trip where he was able to observe it all firsthand. The sea of ice is unlike how most people would imagine it to be as depicted on maps, instead it is not all connected but rather it is many different pieces all just floating near one another.

When the Arctic National Wildlife sanctuary is thought about majority of people think about the miles of ice caps one would see, the polar bears relaxing on or playing with one another and then we hear the noises of a seals barking after they have just finish eating fresh fish for dinner. Now, that this thought is so clear, imagine several massive oil drills, enormous well pumps and all types of heavy hauling equipment popping up all around this area that is so overwhelming peaceful. The argument for such action has been in the works for the last

The polar ice caps are melting at a pace few nations can afford to ignore, which is yielding potentially profitable sources of energy, minerals, and shipping. But debate is building over whether the Arctic can be developed peaceably. In the 21st century, many experts believe that climate change, technological advances, and ever increasing global demand for resources unlock the economic potential of the Polar North. The melting of Arctic sea ice to record lows in recent years has motivated many nations, mainly those with Arctic Ocean coastlines, such as the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, and Greenland to reassess their engagements and interests in the icy polar reaches. Canada’s

The unpredictability of the arctic is a big problem and it is not good that what happens there first then it will happen to us sooner or later. According to my article the Inuit don’t know when to go hunt.This is bad because the animals can't predict the weather either so they don't know when to come to the arctic so the Inuit have to be aware of when there is any animals and they have to travel farther to hunt.Also according to (My Artical) it is very expensive to travel and that is not good because then they can’t go hunting that often.Sense they have to ship the oil all of the way down from California to the sctic that cost a lot of money so they have to pay extra. Almost twice as much as in Colorado.This is a big problem because you need to eat to survive and they don’t follow the food anymore and they need money to get gas and travel and it is hard to do that if you don’t make that much

As global warming has helped dissipate the glaciers and icebergs of the Arctic region, new areas are becoming accessible for commercial shipping, fishing and energy development. The Arctic Council (since 1996) has therefore taken up the challenge of mapping out sovereign bodies to legally allocate and utilize the Arctic region’s vast bounds of natural resources; to settle territorial disputes between the primary Arctic Nations. Today, countries such as the UK are discontented by the fact that the Arctic is not being treated as a country which should be divided among the international community.

Economic growth is vital to sustain human life; however, the unsustainable consumption of natural resources to attain this demand is leading to self-destruction. The Earth is facing environmental changes, including climate changes, which are altering the Earth system. Significantly higher thermal expansion is inescapable if the increasing pollution by carbon dioxide emission continues relentlessly. One evidence of this change is global warming and its impact in the Arctic Ice. The critical role of the Arctic in the global climate system implies that Arctic Ice changes will have far-reaching connotations for, and feedbacks to, the entire Earth. Currently, the warning signs include: rapid diminishing of sea ice, increased mass

It contains an expanse of tundra with many marshes and lagoons with rivers situated between foothills of the Brooks Range and the wide, icy waters of the Beaufort Sea. Environmentalists said that this area “is the most biologically productive part of the Arctic Refuge for wildlife and is the center if wildlife activity.” The importance of these resources is not measurable. The Arctic is home to such animals as caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, musk oxen, whales, wolves and snow geese. This area is full of wildflowers and contains water of excellent, unpolluted quality and quantity. The Arctic Ocean costal plain is an area critical to the survival of many birds and mammals (‘Alaska Wild’).

Climate change and global warming already caused enough hurt to ice caps, Arctic drilling only destroys the ice caps even more. Negatively impacting the marines creatures habitat- their place which they called home. One certain animal that has battle to survive this circumstance is the polar bears in which they have been jeopardized for a long time. “Experts warn that polar bears could completely disappear from the Arctic in the next 100 years if we don’t take action soon” (“Greenpeace”). Polar bears need sea ice because they use the ice to for a platform to catch their main prey: seals. Without it, polar bear rearing and survival have declined beneath the point expected to keep up the

The Arctic is global warming’s canary in the coal mine. It is a highly sensitive area which is profoundly affected by the changing climate. The average temperature in the Arctic is rising twice as fast as elsewhere in the world (nrdc.org). Because of this, the ice cap is getting thinner, melting away, and rupturing. Here is an example of this; the largest ice block in the Arctic, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, had been around for 3000 years before it started cracking in 2000 (nrdc.org) By 2002, the Ward Hunt has cracked completely through and had started breaking into smaller pieces. The melting ice caps are affecting the earth and its inhabitants in many ways. In this paper, the following concepts and subjects will be