Source: Euractiv
12 May 2011 - The seventh annual Arctic Council has opened in Greenland today (11 May) as secret US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks show that nations are racing to carve up the region’s oil, gas and mineral resources, as its ice retreats because of global warming.
Greenland is an autonomous territory under Danish sovereignty, but the cables show that US diplomats believe it "is on a clear track to independence," which they also see as "a unique opportunity" for American gas and oil companies.
A Greenlandic official is quoted describing his "country" as "just one big oil strike away" from independence.
The Arctic is estimated to hold about a quarter of the world's undiscovered oil and gas reserves.
In another cable, the then-US Ambassador to Denmark, James P. Cain, says that he has introduced "some of our top US financial institutions" to two of Greenland's governmental ministers "to help the Greenlanders secure the investments needed for such exploitation".
At one point, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller jokes with the Americans that "if you stay out, then the rest of us will have more to carve up in the Arctic".
The cables have leaked as Hilary Clinton became the first US Secretary of State to attend an Arctic Council meeting today, signalling the region's rising importance in Washington.
"This is an important innovation in the architecture of regional and global cooperation," Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said of the Council earlier this week.
Due to rising temperatures, summer ice around the Arctic may soon disappear, devastating the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and threatening polar bears and other polar mammals.
But it could also increase access for shipping, mining and oil and gas exploration and countries including Canada, Denmark, Norway and Russia have already staked claims in the region.
For the complete article, please see Euractiv.
The surge in the frequency and intensity of climate change impacts has raised the alarm about how this could hamper coastal activities. Several critical ports in the Indo-Pacific region are hubs of international trade and commerce and at the same time vulnerable to typhoons, taller waves and erosion. India’s climate diplomacy at the regional level could activate climate-resilient pathways for port development and management.
After an 18-month stretch without a White House science adviser – the longest any modern president has gone without a science adviser – Trump appoints extreme weather expert Kelvin Droegemeier to the post. Kelvin Droegemeier is vice president for research at the University of Oklahoma and a climate change scientist. His selection was widely welcomed.
Climate change threatens conflict and poverty in the Arab region, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP). In a report published last week, the agency suggested climate risks could derail development gains, such as the decrease in infant mortality and the achievement of near universal primary education.
The links between climate change and security have started entering regional resolutions through the UN Security Council. Germany, elected for a seat on the Council in 2019-20, will again prioritize climate-related security risks as one of its main agendas. What prospects does a renewed engagement on climate security risks offer and is there scope for preventive participation?