Internet. Youth. Environment. Green-economy. Canada's influence over Arctic wanes as global interest grows: sovereignty expert. The growing worldwide interest in exploring the Arctic will lessen Canada's influence over what happens there, says a northern historian and sovereignty expert.
That quickly emerging interest among many nations — brought on by global warming, the thawing of frozen sea routes, and a race to claim lucrative energy resources — has prompted NATO officials meeting in Iceland on Thursday to say NATO will have a military presence in the North. "This transition in the last very short while has been quite stunning," Ken Coates, history professor and dean of arts at Ontario's University of Waterloo, told CBC News on Thursday. "Countries that previously paid very little attention to the Arctic, organizations that basically passed it over fairly quickly, are now realizing that global warming and the disappearance of the Arctic ice is going to have profound geopolitical implications.
" International Futures Programme:Department. Hors-série n° 2009-3 du 2 octobre 2009.