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The Arctic: An Antithesis

Meltdown The Arctic ice is melting faster than predicted. In August 2012, calculations based on the satellite imagery indicated that the summer sea ice loss was 50 per cent higher than earlier estimates.1 Scientific evidence now suggests that the Arctic, by the middle of the century, will be ice free in the summer. Scientists call it the ‘Arctic amplification’—the reduction in the ice cover not only reduces the reflection of the sunlight but also increases the absorption of heat as the darker water is exposed. The Arctic, as one research publication noted, is like a ‘bellwether’,2 influencing trends and presaging future happenings. Among the Arctic attention, climate change is important. The Arctic serves as a grim reminder that the planet is warming faster and that melting is accelerating. Just like the sluggards who are told to look at the ants at work, the climate change sceptics are told to look at the Arctic to understand the gravity of the situation. The shrinking of the Greenland ice sheet (land ice) will undoubtedly raise sea levels and increase the potential for release of methane, especially through the thawing of permafrost. The decline in sea ice will have a circulating impact on the weather patterns in the northern hemisphere’s middle latitudes, leading scientists to predict a series of heatwaves and drought. On the other hand, the Arctic melting is seen as an unintended opportunity that offers potential benefits, such as the opening of the northern sea passage for shipping, easy access for exploration of the vast oil and gas resources, and exploiting the huge fish stock. Emerging from this antithetical situation on the one hand are strong commercial-political interests and, on the other, an ecosystem-based management that requires governance and sustainable resource use. However, in both cases the demands on science to estimate the changes will be critical. Further research and findings, data collection and clearer information will play a crucial role in the climate policies of governments as well as corporate interest in the Arctic. Currently, and it almost goes without saying, the commercial priorities of fishing, shorter shipping routes and the thirst for energy have made the Arctic a hot destination. Arctic literature is already rife with semantics like ‘gold rush’, ‘resource scramble’, ‘land grab’, ‘great game moves north’, ‘high stakes in the High North’,