Over recent decades, the Arctic has been the focus of attention of many countries around the world. The region is not yet fully explored, but is believed to have plentiful natural mineral resources. This is particularly true for hydrocarbons, which are estimated to account for a quarter of the world’s reserves. Natural and climatic transformations, caused by global warming and the accelerated melting of Arctic ice, have led to the extension of the navigation season of the Northern Sea Route. Interest in Arctic oil and gas fields is growing due to the depletion of traditional onshore hydrocarbon deposits, rising prices and increased consumption. Despite the challenging conditions of hydrocarbon production in the Arctic, rapid development is expected in this region as main oil fields in Russia deplete. This has intensified the negotiation process and defined the international legal regime in the Arctic. This book explores the future of the Arctic, including geographical changes resulting from climate change, the region’s deposit of hydrocarbon resources, the Arctic’s international legal status, the state of scientific research in the Arctic, and more.
Author(s): Igor S. Zonn, Sergey S. Zhiltsov
Series: Arctic Region and Antarctica Issues and Research
Publisher: Nova Science Publishers
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 386
City: New York
Contents
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Awakening of the Arctic
Abbreviations
Chapter 1
The Geography of the Arctic
1.1. Basic Concepts
1.2. The Artic Zone
Chapter 2
The Hydrocarbon Resources of the Arctic: An Attractive Deposit
2.1. Preliminary Estimates
2.2. Russia: A Careful Count on Hydrocarbon Resources
2.3. Alaska Is the Testing Ground of U.S. Politics
2.4. The Invaluable Experience of Norway
2.5. Canada: A Gradual Move towards Hydrocarbons
2.6. Denmark’s Hydrocarbon Production in the Arctic
2.7. New Opportunities by Overcoming Major Challenges
Chapter 3
The International Legal Status of the Arctic
3.1. The Geographical Principle of the Division of the Arctic
3.2. Hydrocarbon Resources Fueled Interest on the Arctic
3.3. The Ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 and Policies of the Arctic States
3.4. Towards the Arctic Resources
3.5. The Delimitation of Arctic Spaces
Chapter 4
The Sea Routes
4.1. The History of the Northern Sea Route
4.2. The Northern Sea Route Is the Great Hydrocarbon Route
4.3. The Northwest Passage Is an Analogue of the Northern Sea Route
4.4. The Icebreaker Fleet Is the Basis for Northern Sea Route’s Operation
4.5. The Icebreaking Fleet of the Arctic and Non-Arctic States
Chapter 5
Ambitions and Realities of Russian Policy in the Arctic
5.1. The Arctic Beachhead: From Stalin to Putin
5.2. The Arctic Direction of the Russian Policy
5.3. How Putin Recovered the Arctic to Russia
5.4. Cooperation with Foreign Companies
5.5. The Arctic Is a Priority of Russian Policy
5.6. Technology and the Extraction of the Arctic Resources
Chapter 6
Illustrations of Practical Works in the Arctic
6.1. The Infrastructure
6.2. The Prirazlomnaya Oil Field
6.3. The Yamal Peninsula
6.4. The Shtokman Field
Chapter 7
The “Cold” Militarization of the Arctic
7.1. The Arctic Is the Focus of Arctic and Non-Arctic States
7.2. The Military and Political Significance of the Arctic for Russia
Chapter 8
Scientific Research in the Arctic
8.1. Science and Geopolitics
8.2. International Cooperation in Arctic Research
8.3. U.S.-Russia: Scientific Rivalry in the Arctic
8.4. Scientific Operations of Non-Arctic States
Chapter 9
The Silent Arctic Started Speaking
9.1. Resources of the Arctic
9.2. International Cooperation in the Field of Environment
9.3. The Ecologization of Russian Policy in the Arctic
9.4. The U.S.’s Dismissive Attitude towards Environmental Issues
9.5. New Technologies for Dealing with the Consequences of the Accidents
Chapter 10
The Arctic – The “Weather Kitchen”
10.1. On the Issue of Ice Area Estimation
10.2. Climate Change and Coastal Residents
10.3. Consequences for the Ecology
10.4. Unsure Predictions
10.5. Climate Change and Shipping
10.6. Climate Change Opens up Access to the Shelf
10.7. The Impact of Сlimate on the Development of the Arctic
Chapter 11
Arctic Policies of Non-Arctic States
Conclusion
Appendix
The Major United Nations Conventions
Other Relevant International and Inter-State Agreements
Canada
China
Denmark
Iceland
Finland
France
Germany
Italy
Norway
Spain
Sweden
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The Russian Empire/The Soviet Union/ The Russian Federation
United States of America
References
About the Authors
Index
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