According to research, melting Arctic Ocean ice might open up new trade channels on international seas, lowering shipping's carbon footprint and undermining Russia's authority over these routes.
The future of the arctic ocean
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images
The future of the Arctic Ocean is bleak since global ocean temperatures are steadily rising due to climate change, as per ScienceDaily.
Parts of the Arctic that were previously completely covered in ice are warming so swiftly, according to climate projections, that in as little as two decades they will be consistently ice-free for months at a time.
Numerous species that flourish in temperatures below zero will be put at risk by the changing climate in the Arctic, according to experts.
Another significant impact of Arctic ice melting? the possibility of cutting off the Russian-controlled Northern Sea Route and taking shorter, more environmentally friendly marine commerce routes.
In recent research, two climate scientists from Brown University collaborated with a legal expert from the University of Maine School of Law to forecast how the future regulation of shipping routes may be impacted by the melting of the Arctic Ocean ice.
According to their predictions, by 2065, the Arctic's navigability will have significantly improved to the point that it may provide new trade routes on international seas, decreasing the shipping industry's carbon footprint and undermining Russian hegemony over commerce in the region.
Charles Norchi, director of the Maine Law School Center for Oceans and Coastal Law, visiting scholar at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and one of the study's co-authors, believes that these changes could have a significant impact on international trade and politics.
According to Norchi, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea has granted Arctic coastal governments increased control over major maritime lanes since 1982.
According to Article 234 of the treaty, nations with coasts near-Arctic shipping routes have the authority to limit maritime traffic along the route as long as the region is ice-free for the bulk of the year in order to "avoid, reduce, and manage marine pollution from boats."
Charles Norchi, director of the Maine Law School Center for Oceans and Coastal Law, visiting scholar at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, and one of the study's co-authors, believes that these changes could have a significant impact on international trade and politics, as per The Financial Express.
According to Norchi, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea has granted Arctic coastal governments increased control over major maritime lanes since 1982.
According to Article 234 of the treaty, nations with coasts near-Arctic shipping routes have the authority to limit maritime traffic along the route as long as the region is ice-free for the bulk of the year in order to "avoid, reduce, and manage marine pollution from boats."
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