Arctic: Facing the security stakes of climate change
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| G reenland's Disko Bay. Photo: Martin Zwick/REDA&CO/UIG via Getty Images |
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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to visit two places in the Arctic in the coming days, where it could be extremely difficult to ignore the consequences of human-caused global warming, reports Axios science editor Andrew Freedman.
Why it matters: The Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of the rest of the globe, setting in motion a transformation of a once-frozen region.
- Melting sea ice is quickly making the Far North more accessible, and marine traffic from container ships and cruise vessels is becoming more common, particularly in Russian and Canadian waters. As one of 8 Arctic Council nations, the U.S. plays a key role in setting policy for the region.
The big picture: On May 7, Pompeo will be in Rovaniemi, Finland, for the Arctic Council forum. Finland, which is hosting the meeting, has set an agenda that puts climate change high on the list of priorities (the U.S. has already registered objections).
But, but, but: Pompeo is likely to be more interested in regional security issues, given a recent Russian military buildup and growing interest in Arctic oil and gas resources. China, too, has been increasingly eyeing the Arctic.
- "There has been a sustained effort by U.S. military and Coast Guard officials to re-frame the issue of climate change in the Arctic as a security challenge," says Malte Humpert, the founder and senior scholar at The Arctic Institute.
- "This avoids the political pitfalls of having to talk about climate change and jumps straight to talking about security implications."
What to watch: The U.S., Humpert says, wants to demonstrate that it will "not surrender control over the region to Russia and China," as sea ice melts and the world heads toward a newly accessible Arctic Ocean each summer, and much thinner ice cover at other times. |
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