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An icy wilderness -

The Arctic is a forbidding place. A polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth, it encompasses 15% of the planet's land mass, yet only 0.05% of Earth's population.

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A freezing environment -

Temperatures in winter have been known to dip as low as -90°F (-67°C). And the polar night can shroud the region in near total darkness for two and half months of the year.

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A region of natural resources -

Few venture into the Arctic Circle to work. Those who do are likely employed in the oil or gas industries. The Arctic is an environment rich in minerals, and, besides oil and gas, other natural resources lay hidden under its freezing mantle.

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The Arctic sea routes -

Presently, access to the Arctic by sea is limited to three established shipping routes, navigable to varying extents during the summer months—the Northern Sea Route, which hugs the Russian coastline, the Northwest Passage, which runs between Greenland and Canada, and the Transpolar Sea Route (not indicated on this map), which is closest to the North Pole and currently only navigable by heavy icebreakers.

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Disappearing ice -

By the 2030s, due to climate change, experts believe these passages will be navigable beyond the summer months. The Northwest Passage, for example, its waters once chocked with ice for most of the year, is already almost ice-free during the short Arctic summer.

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A more accessible Arctic Ocean -

An Arctic free of huge swathes of ice during the summer months could make existing commodities such as oil and gas even more accessible. It could also allow access to a vast wealth of additional untapped natural resources.

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The "Cold Rush" -

In the coming years as the ice cap melts, corporate interest in the Arctic's oil and gas reserves and mining potential, plus the region's tourism, transportation, and telecommunications potential, will likely fuel what some analysts have described as a "Cold Rush."

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Risks and rewards -

While the gradual thawing of ice in the region is set to open up Arctic shipping routes and new opportunities for mineral attraction, climate scientists are voicing serious concerns about the environmental impact as the region heats up.

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Security and defense challenges -

Besides the inevitable loss of biodiversity, detractors are also worried about the defense and security challenges any additional sea routes might pose.

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The Greenland question -

Greenland has become the focus of geopolitical tension due to the desires of US President Donald Trump in acquiring the autonomous Danish territory. Greenland contains some of the largest deposits of rare earths found anywhere, elements such as yttrium, scandium, and lanthanum.

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Russia's reaction -

Trump's play for Greenland has set off alarm bells in Moscow. Russia long ago remilitarized the region. As of early 2023, its Northern Fleet comprises about 32 surface warships, while Russian submarine patrols are noticeably more active.

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China's reaction -

While Trump may well be eyeing up the economic value in Greenland, his land-grab ambitions are also seen as a way to increase security against Russia and, potentially, China.

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Remilitarizing the region - China has been strengthening its military and commercial shipping interests in the Arctic. In December 2024, Beijing unveiled a colossal new "polar-ready" cargo ship called Fan Zhou 8 (not pictured) that can carve through ice more easily.

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The Arctic's critical minerals -

But it's what lies below that has countries aiming to be in pole position as the region heats up. Among the Arctic's critical mineral reserves is aluminum (pictured). Major applications for this element include use in automobile manufacture. It's also used in packaging, in items such as cans. And aluminum's electricity-related uses include its utilization in generators and transformers.

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Cobalt -

On a global basis, the leading use of cobalt is in rechargeable battery electrodes. It is also used in the production of various magnetic materials, among many other applications.

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Copper -

Major applications of copper include use in the manufacture of electrical wire and other industrial equipment and machinery.

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Graphite -

Popular industrial uses of graphite are making furnace or furnace components, and in the manufacture of electrical motors.

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Lithium -

Lithium has the lowest density of all metals. Its most important use is in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, and electric vehicles.

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Nickel -

Data from the US Geological Survey shows that nickel is primarily used for alloys and electroplating—nearly 70% of global production is used in stainless steel.

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Rare earth elements -

Rare earths, including germanium, cerium, and samarium, have a wide variety of applications, including use in military equipment, turbines, and e-cars.

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Silver -

Besides ubiquitous use in the manufacture of currency and jewelry, silver's industrial applications extend to use in solar panels, water filtration units, and in fabricating printed electrical circuits, among numerous other purposes.

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Zinc -

Zinc is most commonly used as an anti-corrosion agent, for example in galvanizing iron and steel against corrosion and in making brasses and alloys for die casting.

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What are potential benefits? -

While the Cold Rush presents all sorts of possibilities, the reality of economic expansion in the Arctic is likely decades away. What is more immediately beneficial is the significant lessening of fuel emissions from shipping enterprises as new sea routes become navigable.

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Reduction in days at sea -

For example, traveling across the Arctic Ocean would cut a trip from Japan to the Netherlands in half, reducing a voyage of 12,000 miles (over 19,300 km) to 6,000 (about 9,650 km).

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Quicker connectivity -

The Wall Street Journal describes the Arctic as one of the world's last digital frontiers. The idea of traversing the Arctic Ocean with subsea fiber-optics has long intrigued telecommunications executives.

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Speedier data flow -

Such an endeavor would require 10,000 miles (over 16,000 km) of fiber-optic cable, but the benefits of such an undertaking would include shortening the connection between London and Tokyo, thus creating possibilities for speedier data flows between global financial hubs.

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Damage to the environment -

The call of the North, however, brings with it genuine environmental concerns. Exploitation of additional mineral resources could threaten Arctic biodiversity, already under threat from global warming.

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Risk to ecosystems and Indigenous communities -

Any industry seeking to expand in the region would need to strike a delicate balance between commercial prospects and the sustainability of ecosystems and Indigenous communities.

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Tourism's carbon footprint -

Compounding the issue is the significant growth of passenger ship activities, a phenomenon that has resulted in the emission of large amounts of air pollutants.

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Exploitation vs. environment -

As international rivals begin jockeying for position in this new quest to exploit the Polar North, environmentalists are quick to point out that any rewards the Cold Rush may provide will be at the expense of an increasingly fragile Arctic, its icy armor melting away and, with it, its natural protection.

Sources: (Innovation News Network) (ScienceDirect) (The Wall Street Journal) (Royal Meteorological Society) (MIT Press Direct) (WWF Arctic) (South China Morning Post) 

See also: What lies beneath Greenland's icy terrain?

© Reuters