Climate Change and the Geopolitics of Russia in Arctic

Climate change is affecting the world faster than expected and it is most visible in Arctic. It has made exploration of the arctic easier. Presence of hydrocarbons and possibility of opening new transport routes has resulted in a geopolitical competition for control over the arctic region. Russia is in the forefront. It has planted its flag in the North Pole and made claims for arctic before the UN as its continental shelf that extends to arctic. According to the United Nations convention on the Law of the Sea, a country can make additional claims over exclusive economic zone if it can prove that its continental shelf extends beyond 200 nautical miles. Other countries bordering arctic are not ready to accept Russian claims and they are also making claims over arctic territory. Will Russia succeed in its race for artic? What is the international law in this regard? The arctic circumpolar nations meeting at Illulissat, Greenland, on May 28, 2008 blocked any international legal initiative. The fate of arctic would be decided by countries bordering it. Countries in search of dominance and energy security are eager to bring this beautiful part of earth under their control