The Hill News

Rapid change is taking place in the Arctic. Global warming is happening twice as fast in the Arctic as in the rest of the world. The ice is melting much faster than anticipated just a few years ago and as the ice melts, a region previously closed is opening up to the world.

This implies new challenges and new opportunities in the Arctic. We are confronted by new challenges in understanding what is happening to the environment â€" and how best to protect it. How changes in the environment affect the living conditions of the Arctic peoples. On that basis, we must also figure out how best to handle and respond to the changes. New opportunities arise as the ice melts and retracts, including better access to oil and gas exploitation and extraction of minerals as well as the opening of new shipping routes.

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