Finland is now looking forward to the opening of new resources for commercial fishery even though it does not have Arctic sea coast. The Finnish government is already surveying the potential offered by climate change. It is told that the summer ice in the North Pole has decreased by 40 percent in the past decade. Rapid change in the climate result in the melting of Arctic but government is nonetheless looking on the bright side.
Scientists believe that the lessening ice and warming temperatures may open up the Arctic’s natural resources to exploitation, as well as enable short shipping routes to other countries in the Arctic. Lotta Numminen, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and author of the report “Key Questions in the Melting Arctic”, is of a view that in terms of human activity, this means that in 50 years we can start full commercial activities in the Arctic Sea.
Numminen believes even without having the Arctic coastline Finland still holds plenty of potential for Finland to sell its environmental and Arctic expertise in things like ice-breaking ships. Kim Kuivalainen, foreign affairs secretary at the Foreign Ministry, states that Finland’s interests lie in strengthening co-operation in the Arctic region.
The melting ice is expected to reveal new riches in the form of oil and natural gas reserves, as well as new fishing grounds. The ice is melting at such a pace that the first Trans-Arctic shipping lanes could be a reality in just a few years. For example, in 2009 the ice had retreated to such an extent that two German ships were able to navigate Russia’s North-East Passage.
