The Arctic Ocean: opportunities of a new maritime boundary

• Published in: Antíteses
• Main Author: Marcos Valle Machado da Silva
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish; Portuguese
• Published: Universidade Estadual de Londrina 2014
• Subjects: China; Comércio Marítimo; Conselho do Ártico; Rotas Marítimas; Oceano Ártico; History (General); D1-2009; Social sciences (General); H1-99; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Pacific; Arctic Council; Climate change; Global warming
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5433/1984-3356.2014v7n13p228; https://doaj.org/article/aba2728ca9a445afb76f0204d38f0c02

Climate change due to global warming will not only have negative effects. In the case of maritime trade, the risk arising from the increase in the average temperature of the planet has some opportunities already being analyzed by various states. One such opportunity relates to the potential use of sea routes through the Arctic, linking the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The purpose of this article is to analyze the implications for maritime trade, resulting from the reduction of the ice cover in the Arctic Ocean and to show which states are shaping the institutions and rules for use of this new opportunity. To achieve this goal, the text was divided into three sections. The first introduces the reader to the projections accessibility to navigation in the Arctic Ocean and the potential shipping routes that are revealed for the maritime trade. The second section of the paper examines how states with territory in the Arctic, as well as those with direct interests in the region, are articulating institutions for this purpose, notably the Arctic Council. The third and final section examines "how" and "why" China, a State exogenous to the Arctic, has managed to implement successful strategies in defense of their interests in the region.