Canadian soldiers on the ice Sheet near Little Cornwallis Island during a military operation in -57 C weather in Nunavut Canada. Image by Louie Palu. Canada, 2017.
Canadian soldiers on the ice Sheet near Little Cornwallis Island during a military operation in -57 C weather in Nunavut Canada. Image by Louie Palu. Canada, 2017.

This project examines the ongoing geopolitical transformation of the Arctic and focuses on the indirect consequences from climate change. A once-impenetrable polar ice cap is slowly melting, eventually exposing natural resources and shipping routes to exploitation and sparking a race to claim territorial rights in the Arctic.

The decades-old Cold War frontline from Alaska through Canada and Greenland has seen a significant level of military activity. Unsurprisingly, such claims have been accompanied by military mobilization throughout this region. Countries that border the Arctic such as Russia, the United States, Canada, and Denmark—and some, like China, that don't—are eager to lay claim to its rich and increasingly accessible resources.

Desires and subsequent efforts to assert territorial claims in the Arctic have induced countries such as Canada to engage in what they call "Sovereignty Operations" to assert ownership and project military power on specific sections of northern geography. There are now multiple annual military exercises in the region using thousands of military personnel to lay claim to and create a security zone surrounding the North Pole.

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