What holds the Arctic together?
Résumé
The Arctic region is undergoing dramatic transformation. Rapid change due to climate warming is currently affecting the Arctic more than any other region in the world: the permafrost is melting, glaciers are receding, the sea ice is shrinking. With the melting of ice, the circumpolar region is subject to increasing forces of globalization, and navigation through the Northwest and the Northeast passages is rapidly emerging as a practical and commercial proposition. Moreover, the Arctic may be home to 30 per cent of the planet's undiscovered natural gas reserves and 13 per cent of its undiscovered oil. "What Holds the Arctic Together?" The emphasis here is on convergence, rather than divergence, the Arctic's centrality not its eccentricity. The contributions gathered together in this book all address essential questions posed by geophysicists, political scientists, jurists, geographers and historians. How can science calculate and assess the scale of change in this geographic space, in particular concerning the melting of ice? To what extent are the Native populations listened to and act as active participants in decision-making concerning the Arctic? In the context of post-Cold War international and regional cooperation, what is the present state of Arctic governance? How are the Arctic States themselves cooperating in facing the challenges that lie ahead? Are existing juridical arrangements adequate? What role in the Arctic can be played by actors such as the European Union? To what extent are other powerful countries, such as the Asian giants, taking a direct interest in the development of the Arctic?