Territoriality in the Arctic

In our world today, it is all about ownership; who has the most land and resources. It is a power move to assert dominance. Main questions I feel like countries would ask themselves is "If we engaged in war, could we win? Who would aid us if needed? Are we more powerful than them?". It is always about power and control.

Who Owns the Arctic

In the Arctic region, it is made up of Russia, the United States, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Canada, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Each country has exclusive economic zones (EEZ's) which extend 200 nautical miles off of the coasts of each country. Within their EEZ, the country can explore and exploit the resources in the area. Water/seas not in any EEZ is considered international waters. For example, the high seas including the North Pole and the Arctic Ocean surrounding it are not owned by anyone. The sea bottom beyond the exclusive economic zones and confirmed extended continental shelf claims are considered to be the "heritage of all mankind" where exploration and exploitation of mineral resources are administered by the UN International Seabed Authority.

So I guess the answer would be that technically no one owns the Arctic Circle. The countries that are apart of this region are the ones who own pieces of it. 

Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic States, indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the region. The Members of the Arctic Council include  Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States.

The work of the Council is primarily carried out in six Working Groups.

• The Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP) acts as a strengthening and supporting mechanism to encourage national actions to reduce emissions and other releases of pollutants.

• The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) monitors the Arctic environment, ecosystems and human populations, and provides scientific advice to support governments as they tackle pollution and adverse effects of climate change.

• The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group (CAFF) addresses the conservation of Arctic biodiversity, working to ensure the sustainability of the Arctic’s living resources.

• The Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group (EPPR) works to protect the Arctic environment from the threat or impact of an accidental release of pollutants or radionuclides.

• The Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group is the focal point of the Arctic Council’s activities related to the protection and sustainable use of the Arctic marine environment.

• The Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) works to advance sustainable development in the Arctic and to improve the conditions of Arctic communities as a whole.

(https://arctic-council.org/index.php/en/about-us)

Fight for the Arctic?

The Arctic region is filled with natural resources like oil and gas. According to a 2008 US Geological Survey review, the Arctic is home to as much as 22 percent of the worlds undiscovered oil and natural gas (Millstein, 2016) And along with resources comes competition. As far as we know, there is not really any conflict in the Arctic. Now that global warming is a factor, Arctic ice is rapidly melting. This allows more boats/ships to navigate through the Arctic waters. Unlike in the past, icebreaker ships were required to travel through. The US only has one icebreaker while Russia has around 40 more. Russia is large and powerful, we know that. In 2007, they even placed a titanium Russian flag in the Arctic seabed in the North Pole. This appeared to be very symbolic in representing their claim of the ocean floor and the resources within it. Russia also has six military bases in the Arctic as well. What we do not know is whether or not this is an act of power or heading for a fight for the Arctic region. 

Russian Icebreaker

Only US Icebreaker

This is my interactive map of the Arctic Circle and the territories that lay within it. I really like this map because if you zoom in on a certain area it will have every landform labeled, even small islands. The water in this region is the blue color while the land is white. 

Sources

King, Hobart. “Who Owns the Arctic Ocean?” Geology, geology.com/articles/who-owns-the-arctic.shtml.

Copeland, Baden, and Derek Watkins. “Who Owns the Arctic.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Dec. 2013, archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/07/sunday-review/who-owns-the-arctic.html.

Millstein, Seth. “Who Owns the Arctic? And Who Doesn't?” Timeline, Timeline, 28 Nov. 2016, timeline.com/who-owns-the-arctic-2b9513b3b2a3.

“CAFF Arctic Wetlands Workshop.” Arctic Council, 20 May 2015, arctic-council.org/index.php/en/about-us.