Climate Change and Implications for National Security and International Law in the Arctic

Climate change threatens national security due to the potential it carries to destabilize fragile regions, damage military installations, and exacerbate existing tensions between countries. While these effects will be global, the Arctic region represents a microcosm of a future where climate change affects the strategic priorities of states and renders existing governing institutions inadequate. Moreover, climate change will challenge the collage of “soft” international law that governs the Arctic, administered primarily through the Arctic Council’s collaborative forum. While this system has been effective, the opening of the Far North to increased sea passage, commercial exploitation, and great powers’ interests necessitates a more robust integration of binding law and should spur the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) to better prepare for confrontations and contingencies that may arise as the ice recedes.