The Arctic as Natural Region
Russia’s Far North
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
International interest in the Arctic is growing due to the regional consequences of climate change. In parts of the Arctic, the most significant warming of the last half century is to be observed. The melting of the sea ice could facilitate the extraction of mineral resources and open up new shipping routes. But the Arctic is more than an economic space. It is a highly fragile ecological system and home to numerous indigenous peoples. Arctic and sub-arctic zones make up a fifth of mainland Russia. Russia is one of the region’s most important countries and has considerable influence on whether the ecological and economic interests in the Arctic are settled by cooperation or confrontation.
(Osteuropa 2-3/2011, pp. 21–46)