Race Is On as Ice Melt Reveals Arctic Treasures
NUUK, Greenland With Arctic ice melting at record pace, the worlds superpowers are increasingly jockeying for political influence and economic position in outposts like this one, previously regarded as barren wastelands.
At stake are the Arctics abundant supplies of oil, gas and minerals that are, thanks to climate change, becoming newly accessible along with increasingly navigable polar shipping shortcuts. This year, China has become a far more aggressive player in this frigid field, experts say, provoking alarm among Western powers.
While the United States, Russia and several nations of the European Union have Arctic territory, China has none, and as a result, has been deploying its wealth and diplomatic clout to secure toeholds in the region.
The Arctic has risen rapidly on Chinas foreign policy agenda in the past two years, said Linda Jakobson, East Asia program director at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, Australia. So, she said, the Chinese are exploring how they could get involved.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/science/earth/arctic-resources-exposed-by-warming-set-off-competition.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120919
leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)not constructive i know but it feels good
pscot
(21,024 posts)We've fucked ourselves and the Planet, so let's double down on what got us here.
malthaussen
(17,184 posts)Seriously, this kind of headline would have been a joke only a few years ago. I am fascinated to have lived to see unbridled capitalism at its finest.
-- Mal