3 EQ4 - Changes in Arctic Sea Ice (copy) (copy)

43%

4 million

Inuit and Chukchi

• Their sustainable harvests of animals such as the Ugruk (bearded seal) are greatly affected by patterns of sea ice

• Decreased ice cover makes hunting less reliable and more dangerous

  • Seals and walrus are migrating further away from indigenous hunting grounds in search of more sea ice

  • Inuit people in Canada are being significantly affected by having to travel further in search of seals and walrus

  • Inuit people are already facing a crisis in nutrition due to the remote nature of their communities, and the struggle to find meat is worsening this

• The loss of these traditional activities will have a profound impact on culture and the way societies operate

They have started the Inuit the Circumpolar Council (ICC) and attend the annual COP conferences. They have called on world leaders to take drastic action to cap global temperature rise, as well as to value Indigenous knowledge of the Arctic region.

• Two of the world’s military superpowers, the USA and Russia, are separated by the Arctic Ocean. Canadian and European interests are also prominent in the Arctic

• There are tensions over claims over the Arctic Ocean

  • Russia, Canada, and Denmark (through Greenland) have claimed the Arctic Ocean

  • The Lomonosov ridge, an underwater ridge, is also claimed by Russia, Canada and Denmark

  • This because countries must prove that the sea bed is an extension of its continental shelf

  • The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has the deciding vote as to which country the ridge belongs to

• Minerals and oil

• Transport routes

One estimate suggests that there is 90 billion barrels of oil and 47 billion m3 of natural gas

TNCs in the energy and mining industries are considering the prospect of recovering the reserves of oil and gas in the Arctic. However this is dependent on further technological advancements. The resources in the Arctic could be worth trillions of dollars.

The route that goes across the top of Canada

The route that goes from Europe to Asia across the top of Russia

• Until recently, sea ice made the Arctic Ocean impassable to shipping

• In 2014 the first cargo ship, unescorted by an ice-breaking vessel, sailed through the North West Passage (NWP)

• Shipping companies could significantly reduce their shipping time and costs by travelling through the NWP

• Using the Northern Sea Route (NSR), the distance between East Asia and Europe would be significantly reduced

• The trip from Tokyo to the Netherlands would be reduced from 21,000 to 13,000 km

• However there is a high fuel cost of sailing through sea ice

• Also have to pay for an ice breaker ship to escort the cargo ship

• By 2025, 200-300 ships are projected to operate in the Arctic Ocean

Unlike the Antarctic, the Arctic does not have a comprehensive treaty to protect it from economic activities like mineral extraction. However there is the Arctic Council, and the original members are:

• Canada

• the USA

• Russia

• Denmark

• Norway

• Sweden

• Finland

• Iceland

Indigenous people are also represented on the Arctic Council, through 6 indigenous organisations.

A success of the Arctic Council was the agreement on Oil Pollution in the Arctic, which requires members to take appropriate action if there is an oil spill to protect the marine environment.