Abstract

The Arctic as a New Geopolitical Theater: Strategic Rivalries Between Great Powers in the Era of Climate Change

Professor Crispin Katamb A Yav and Emmanuel Isengoma Kipimo

Volume: 15 Issue: 4 2025

Abstract:

As climate change renders the Arctic increasingly accessible, the region is rapidly emerging as a strategic hotspot in global geopolitics. The accelerated melting of sea ice is opening new maritime routes, such as the Northeast Passage, and exposing vast reserves of hydrocarbons, rare earth elements, and fisheries. This environmental shift is driving competing power projections: Russia is reinforcing its regional dominance through militarization; the United States and NATO are responding by enhancing their presence; and China, presenting itself as a "near-Arctic power", is expanding its influence via the Polar Silk Road. This article analyzes these dynamics through the frameworks of international law (notably UNCLOS), energy and environmental security, and hegemonic rivalry. The Arctic is thus evolving into a geopolitical laboratory of the 21st century, where climate urgency accelerates power competition, raising the risk of long-term structural tensions in what was once a zone of international cooperation.

DOI: http://doi.org/10.37648/ijrssh.v15i04.004

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