The Arctic: Global Warming Heats Up Russia, China, U.S. Competition
When you plan a voyage on a cruise ship, where would you like that journey to take you? Europe. Asia. The South Sea islands. Antarctica. Just about everywhere on the planet is a popular destination these days.
But it’s a safe bet you haven’t considered a cruise from New York to Nome, through the fabled Northwest Passage, via the Arctic Circle.
As I write this, Adelaide, a long-time friend, is doing just that. She’s aboard Seabourne’s Venture, a 200-passenger ship outfitted especially for the Arctic. I suppose I should not have been surprised that commercial cruises are making such a trip. For most of human history, the Arctic has been pretty much land-locked year-round by ice. But global warming is changing everything, and it’s happening in the Arctic faster than most spots on Earth.
The Arctic Becomes the Next Global Battleground
Just the other day the U.S. Corps of Engineers awarded a $400 million contract to the Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. for the first phase of a project aimed at turning Nome into a deepwater port. Yes, that Nome, of gold rush fame, the finish line of the famed Iditarod sled dog competition.
Why Nome? Because when and if Canada permits, the Arctic is likely to become a viable alternative to the Panama and Suez Canals for some international shipping.
And not just shipping. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Arctic holds 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30 percent of the world’s natural gas. Also, Russia, China, and the U.S. all consider the Arctic militarily so important they are rushing to claim and exploit it.
The Biden administration developed a national strategy for security and development and prioritized the building of more icebreakers for the Coast Guard. Russia has established 14 airfields, six military bases, refurbished 16 Soviet-era deep-water ports, and 10 border posts in the Arctic. China also is pressing claims to an “Arctic Silk Road.”
Global warming is turning the Arctic into one more great power flash point, as if we needed to add to the already tension-filled list.
Early Arctic Tourism Falls Flat
Meanwhile cruise lines see opportunity. To protect the environment Canada now only permits 30 ships a year to ply the passageway. That may be enough. Here’s my friend Adelaide’s observation of her cruise:
“A few whales, some musk ox! Four polar bears but all so far away you have to use binoculars. The ship has cameras and you can view the pictures in your room. You could see more whales in Anchorage and many, many more in Mexico. This trip is 21 days but it could be faster as we stop in very small villages. They make Barrow look like a metropolis.
“Most of us aboard had been to Antarctica. The grandeur of that was immense. Great icebergs as big as small villages and the comedy of the penguins. Here it has been mostly a calm grey sea and equally grey skies.”
If that’s the take of early Arctic tourists, it could be that future traffic will be mostly oil tankers, cargo ships, and those stealthy Russian, Chinese, and American submarines jockeying for position.
Here’s this week’s STEM Winder: A weekly look into the future.
Source: Tech Viral
Comments? Criticism? Contact Joe Rothstein at jrothstein@rothstein.net
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