Climate Change and Its Impacts: Opening Up the Arctic Seas for Maritime Transport

The chapter examines the opening up of the Arctic seas for maritime transport. We recognize that the natural environment is undergoing a dramatic transformation in the Arctic due to climate change. Such a change may create many new opportunities for maritime transport. Indeed, any economic development in a changing Arctic is likely to be accompanied by increased commercial shipping, tourism, and the extraction and transportation of natural resources. However, all these activities carry the risk of environmental pollution, such as oil spills in ecologically sensitive areas, and these prevent the Arctic from achieving its full potential. Moreover, the complex nature of developing maritime transport in the Arctic accentuates the problem of (excessively) heavy emphasis on economic assessments, while the social and environmental implications are often overlooked. Thus the chapter assesses the potential value of Arctic maritime transport by reviewing the major economic literature on the opening up of the Arctic seas for maritime transport. It also identifies some major research gaps that should need to be addressed.