Canada’s sovereignty over its Arctic waters will be chal- lenged as a warming climate decreases the levels of polar ice coverage, thereby making navigation easier for international marine traffic. Interest in the Northwest Passage arises from its potential for international shipping.
Why is the Arctic region important to Canada?
The Arctic is fundamental to Canada’s national identity. It is home to many Canadians, including indigenous peoples, across the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and the northern parts of many Canadian provinces. The Arctic is embedded in Canadian history and culture, and in the Canadian soul.
What is the importance of Arctic sovereignty?
It was set up to control the activities of American whalers in the Western Arctic. It enforced Canadian laws and flew the flag in the region, making Canada’s sovereignty there unquestionable.
How does Canada hope to protect the sovereignty of its Arctic territory?
Canada looks to reinforce Arctic sovereignty through diplomacy, military, says minister. National Defence Minister Anita Anand is planning a trip to the Arctic, as she gathers her allied counterparts in Arctic countries for a joint discussion on the security of the region in light of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
What is the Arctic sovereignty?
Historically, Arctic sovereignty referred to the consolidation of political control over distant Northern regions by the southern capitals of circumpolar states and tended to focus on maritime boundary disputes, perceived foreign threats to territory and control over natural resources.
Why is the Arctic an important area to control for many countries?
The region is home to a number of sensitive marine and terrestrial ecosystems, some of global importance, as the Arctic is a breeding ground for a number of migrating species. More than half of the world’s wetlands are in the Arctic and sub-Arctic region.
What resources does Canada get from the Arctic?
There are many different natural resources in the Arctic region of Canada. The land has gold and other minerals like zinc and copper, as well as diamonds. There are many mines in the Arctic to extract these minerals and diamonds that provide jobs. Canada is the third largest producer of diamonds in the world.
Why is it important to protect the Arctic ice?
Sea ice plays an important role maintaining the Earth’s energy balance while helping keep polar regions cool due to its ability to reflect more sunlight back to space. Sea ice also keeps air cool by forming an insulating barrier between the cold air above it and the warmer water below it.
Why is the Arctic an important place in helping to regulate the Earth’s climate?
The north and south poles play a vital role in regulating the Earth’s climate — acting as our cooling system. Reduced snow cover will mean that the Earth absorbs more heat from the sun and ocean currents shift. The Arctic Ocean, a mixture of fresh melt water and seawater, influences ocean currents around the globe.
How did Canada achieve its sovereignty?
Queen Elizabeth II gave royal assent to the Canada Act on March 29, 115 years to the day after Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother, had approved the federation act of 1867. Thus the last legal tie with Great Britain was severed, and Canada became a fully sovereign state.
Why is the Arctic geopolitically important?
The region’s frozen ecosystem combined with the fact that its political scene operates in isolation from the rest of the world creates a unique geopolitical theatre. Because of its unique polar geography and high sensitivity to climate change, the Arctic is also a leading indicator for environmental security studies.
Who protects Canada’s North?
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) is a part of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. It defends and protects Canadian and North American airspace in partnership with the United States.
Who has sovereignty over the Arctic Circle?
All land, internal waters, territorial seas and EEZs in the Arctic are under the jurisdiction of one of the eight Arctic coastal states: Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. International law regulates this area as with other portions of Earth.
Why do countries want to own the Arctic?
As polar sea ice has melted and opened new potential shipping lanes, the Arctic has become a new frontier where nations are seeking oil and natural gas reserves and preparing to defend them militarily, if necessary.
How does the Arctic affect the world?
The Arctic and Antarctic are the world’s refrigerator. Since they are covered in white snow and ice that reflect heat back into space, they balance out other parts of the world that absorb heat. Less ice means less reflected heat, meaning more intense heatwaves worldwide.
What are the 3 most important resources in Canada?
In Canada, natural resources such as oil, potash, uranium and wood are extracted to some of the highest environmental and labour standards in the world.
Is Canada attached to the Arctic?
Canada stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean. Greenland is to the northeast with a shared border on Hans Island.
What are four of Canada’s most important natural resources?
Energy resources include natural gas, crude oil, crude bitumen (oil sands) and coal.
What are the positive effects of Arctic ice melting?
As glaciers melt, they add nutrients to the ocean and fertilize the local ecosystem. In Greenland and Antarctica, the ocean is short on iron, so melting glaciers make up for the lack of iron. Photosynthesizing phytoplankton are the base of the food web in the ocean and require lots of light and nutrients to grow.
Why is Arctic ice loss important for climate change?
Rapid glacial melt in Antarctica and Greenland also influences ocean currents, as massive amounts of very cold glacial-melt water entering warmer ocean waters is slowing ocean currents. And as ice on land melts, sea levels will continue to rise.
Is it too late to save the Arctic?
Even if we stopped emitting any more greenhouse gases right now, we still could not save the Arctic. There is already so much greenhouse gas in the atmosphere that temperatures at the poles will likely rise by 5°C within half a century, the United Nations warns in a new report.