Cooperation and conflict in areas of strategic environmental importance: The polar regions

Abstract

The polar regions are of paramount environmental importance and are highly vulnerable to climate change, with far-reaching implications for other regions of the planet. It was their remoteness and extreme climate that helped to preserve them. However, growing economic interests challenge or conflict directly their environmental protection. While certain geostrategic considerations weaken or fragment polar cooperation frameworks. The dynamics of environmental cooperation differ in both regions. In the Arctic, national jurisdiction is a defining element, while territorial claims in the Antarctic are frozen.