Ricardo F. Colmenero

Updated Monday, January 22, 2024-16:59

The Arctic is warming, and not just because of climate change.

The loot of 44,000 million barrels of gas, 90,000 million of oil, in addition to zinc, cobalt, copper, mercury, gold and silver that the thaw would discover, and the control of the so-called

polar silk route that would link Western Europe with China

, saving transport thousands of kilometers and piracy of the Strait of Malacca, Somalia and the Red Sea, has led Putin to impose a climate iron curtain, in the place on the planet where global warming is seen in the best light.

Russia has taken advantage of its expulsion from the

Arctic Council

due to the war in Ukraine, just when it held the rotating presidency, to hide the data from its climate stations, according to an article published in

Nature

.

"

The loss of the Russian stations represents half of the Arctic landmass

, which is warming at a rate approximately two to four times greater than the global average," the article denounces.

Understanding climate change in the Arctic relies heavily on data measured at ground-based research stations, and its consequences are global.

Canada, Denmark (for Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the US form a Council that has paradoxically been left without the geographically largest Arctic nation.

Russia and its continental shelf contain most of the region's natural resources, most of the population, and most of the coastline.

"For some variables, including precipitation and plant biomass, the gap is of similar magnitude to the changes expected due to climate change by the end of the century," denounces

Nature

, which is nothing short of saying that scientists have been left in the dark. and without forecasts, because they have no idea what is happening.

To know more

Stories.

The Arctic dilemma: take advantage of its valuable resources or protect its fragile nature

  • Editor: TERESA GUERRERO Madrid

The Arctic dilemma: take advantage of its valuable resources or protect its fragile nature

Environment.

Climate change is taking its toll on Arctic lakes

  • Editorial: EFE

Climate change is taking its toll on Arctic lakes

"The Siberian taiga forest is no longer represented on the network. As a region characterized by rapid climate change, the loss of Siberian research is particularly detrimental to tracking changes in biodiversity and thawing permafrost," explains the article.

The development of the Russian Arctic region has "strategic importance" and is an "undeniable priority for the country," Russian President Vladimir Putin said a month ago.

His main interest right now is the development of the Arctic LNG-2 gas station.

In early November, US President

Joe Biden

imposed sanctions on the project, which involves the Russian company Novatek, the French TotalEnergies, the Chinese CNOOC and CNODC and the Japanese Mitsui and JOGMEC.

But despite Western sanctions, Novatek continues to receive prefabricated modules.

Two heavy cargo ships, Audax and Pugnax, left Penglai, China, on January 6, bound for Murmansk, Russia, according to Arctic

Today

.

"Some Western countries, with their unilateral, absolutely illegal restrictions, intend to prevent the progress of the energy partnership between Russia and China," denounced the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

Russia, which has also left the Barents Euro-Arctic Council,

has the largest fleet of icebreakers in the region

, with 41 units, which it has begun to arm militarily, including seven nuclear-powered ships.

The United States only has two and they are operated by its Coast Guard.

Norwegian mining

"Experts around the world agree that 30 years of peaceful contemplation of the Arctic are over. Russia is interested in working with all international partners who believe in the importance of sustainable development of this region, and not in turning it into a large ice museum,"

the dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Politics at the Moscow Higher School of Economics, Anastasia Likhacheva,

told the Russian news agency

Sputnik .

"Political contact with Russia is not possible," Norwegian Foreign Minister Annika Huitfeldt said in a statement, as soon as she assumed the presidency of an Arctic Council in which the majority seems to go it alone when talking about exploitation.

Two weeks ago

Norway became the first country in the world to approve mining exploitation

in this territory taking advantage of the melting ice, and to the anger of environmentalists.

Mining companies now have the right to explore a pool of water the size of Italy.

"How has this proposal been approved when 800 scientists oppose it, and when the Norwegian Environment Agency has issued a negative opinion?", denounced the socialist deputy César Luena in the European Parliament.

Although the plan is limited to Norwegian waters, the truth is that a global agreement on mining in international waters could be reached this year, in which Russia would once again be excluded.