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In the past
10 years, the importance of the Arctic at the international level and
for Canada has grown enormously. This is due to global warming, which is
making access to the Arctic easier than ever before in human history.
Arctic sea ice minimum extent, September 1982 – September 2008
United Nations Environment Programme, Global Outlook for Ice and
Snow Report, juin 2007, p. 69
Cartographe : Hugo Ahlenius, UNEP/GRID-Arendal
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Figure 1. Arctic sea ice extent for September 17, 2014 was 5.02
million square kilometers (1.94 million square miles). The
orange line shows the 1981 to 2010 average extent for that day.
The black cross indicates the geographic North Pole.
Credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center
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The
potential opening up of the Arctic has raised two major economic stakes
or the near future:
1)
Potential resources in terms of minerals, oil and natural gas
The Resource
Potential of the Arctic: A Geopolitical Perspective. Klaus Dodds (RHUL).
Slides 12 and 13
See also:
« L’Arctique : un enjeu global », colloque du Centre d'études
stratégiques de la Marine, 12 novembre 2014
Perspectives
on oil and gas resources development in the Arctic, Patrice de VIVIES
Senior Vice-President Northern Europe, TOTAL
2) Potential
gain in international navigation
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Le
Passage du Nord-Ouest comparé au Canal de Panama :
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Rotterdam – Tokyo par le canal de Panama = 23300 km
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Rotterdam – Tokyo par la route du nord-ouest = 15700 km
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New York – Tokyo par le canal de Panama = 18200 km
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New York –Tokyo par la route du nord-ouest = 14000 km
United Nations Environment Programme, Global Outlook for Ice and
Snow Report, juin 2007, p. 90
Cartographe : Hugo Ahlenius, UNEP/GRID-Arendal
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These two
elements have received lots of media attention (through articles in the
press, various documentaries etc). However we must keep two elements in
mind to avoid being overdramatic.
The first one is that most mineral oil
and gas resources are located within the EEZ of Arctic countries, so
there will be no war over oil in the Arctic.
The second is that there is
little chance of intense navigation in the Arctic in the foreseeable
future. Even if the sea ice melts during several months, the routes will
remain very dangerous due to the presence of hidden icebergs, passages
that are not very deep, and mostly insurance costs.
On
this map, only route 1 is navigable by large ships.
Map
established drawn from the data found in
Donat Pharand, Canada’s Artic Waters in International Laws,
Cambridge University Press, 1988, p. 189-201.
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Nonetheless,
Canada, as well as other Arctic countries, is directing a lot of
attention and money to the Arctic. We can distinguish three main areas
of action for Canada in the Arctic:
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