Indigenous Communities in the Arctic Change in Socio-Economic and Environmental Perspective

• Main Author: Gassiy, Violetta
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: IntechOpen 2018
• Subjects: Arctic Studies - A Proxy for Climate Change; Arctic; Climate change; Global warming; Northern Sea Route
• Online Access: https://mts.intechopen.com/articles/show/title/indigenous-communities-in-the-arctic-change-in-socio-economic-and-environmental-perspective; https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80765

In recent decades, the world has undergone significant changes in the environment, which have led not only to economic losses but also to a deterioration in the quality of human life, a change in the usual way of life. The Arctic today is in the focus of geopolitical and economic interests, the impact on the region of global warming. The ice retreats giving humanity new transport corridors, thereby attracting new participants from non-Arctic countries. Japan, China, and South Korea are interested in developing the Northern Sea Route for the delivery of goods and the development of economic ties between Europe and Asia. However, the importance of this route is also connected with transportation of hydrocarbons and other minerals extracted in the Arctic. Industrial development is a priority for the Arctic countries, and climate change makes remote areas of the subsoil more accessible. Especially this issue should be considered for Russia, where the development of the Arctic is experiencing a third wave and this process affects the interests of state, business, and population including indigenous communities, whose number is more twice than in the rest of the world (2.8 million residents in the Russian Arctic with approximately 4 million people in the Arctic totally).