The arctic is often described as a vast expanse of eternal ice but in some parts of the region thats no longer the case. This is alice muir island in the canadian arctic. This strip of coastline was once covered with ice but the nearby glaciers are melting so we can see more and more of the land that lies beneath them. Some researchers predict starting in 2050 the arctic will be ice free in summer so what will happen to the region as all that ice melts. This will be almost a week to rise in sea level. The arctic helps to determine the climate for a much wider area including parts of the us future Climate Change to which was the ice free feeding. The wall maps the retreat to the arctic in the center. That will cause massive changes here and in other parts of the world. I think. The biggest challenge facing the whole in the future. A challenge or an opportunity during the summer after the ice has melted but you taishan blooms along the coastline animal bones indicate that wildlife is returning. More and more scientists are coming to the region and several countries have claimed mining rights how will those rights be allocated. To. Geologists can now study land that used to be covered in ice land that is rich in Natural Resources. The competition for the arctic treasure is fierce. These resources include Oil Natural Gas and rare earth elements. Taken together theyre worth trillions of dollars. The Indigenous Peoples who live in the arctic region say they deserve a share of these riches new sources of income would help them improve their lives and have more of a say in Government Policies that affect them. All. These scientists will be the 1st to study a particularly remote part of the arctic canada. Feels great you know our days are waiting in the new get ready to go on the field. We got calls twice and now were getting on thats actually right. Well see what awaits. Thank you spot just tuck your bag underneath your seat itll probably be a bumpy ride because of bad weather. More than a century ago arctic expeditions led by. An alfred vega made headlines around the world. Today Research Trips to the region are not nearly as demanding as they used to be but they are expensive about 15000. 00 euros per person. Resolute bay is often used as a starting point for scientific expeditions in the 1950 s. The canadian government forced Indigenous People from northern quebec to settle in this remote but strategically important region. Susan sullivan it was a child at the time. There has been a thing that has come up here. I guess there are more now im expecting that theyll be a lot more. People coming up north to find out more. Vegetation. Things that were frozen. July 1st is canada day the countrys National Holiday but the local any with residents dont have much to celebrate. The village of resolute bay needs more jobs schools and hospitals the in you would want more Financial Support from the canadian government they also demand more autonomy so that they can live according to their traditional values. Susan sullivan it copes that her grandchildren will be able to lead better lives than she and her parents did she says that the canadian government should formally a. For the forced resettlement of the innuit people and provide better jobs and job training programs. For young people they are today there are so many more possibilities for them to get proper education and we hope that. Wealthy within that 1020 years that theyll be a doctor. We now have. Lawyers we now have well nurses that are in need but we need more. In the proper. System. And. The arctic region includes parts of 5 countries. Denmark. Norway. Russia. The usa. And canada. In 1909 the canadian government created a new Northern Territory called nunavut which means our land. Summer has arrived and none of it but its still cold just 3 degrees centigrade. The researchers arrive from resolute bay. Spent 2 months on the territories north cops. There are no settlements here and no roads either theres not a lot of vegetation because the tundra subsoil is permanently frozen. The scientists set up their camp and its anything but luxurious their only connection to the outside world are the transport helicopters this expedition is financed by the governments of canada and germany. Germany has invested a lot of money in out research and will continue to do so i think is very important as we continue to study the effects of Global Warming. We need to find out more about how the entire climate system functions push the. Cost is a geologist who works for germanys institute for geosciences and Natural Resources which is part of the federal ministry of economics and technology. There are scientists here from several other countries as you can see from these flags. Stephen grasp is a geo chemist who works for canadas department of energy and environment his work here will focus on the composition of rocks. American biologist john spear will study microbes that could be used in research on antibiotics resistant bacteria. These are. Little green tough to 15. 00 each and they. Are for extracting d. N. A. Out of samples all collect like a little bit of a pencil eraser size amount of material and ill insert it into these tubes and it will shake it around ill take it home or will extract d. N. A. Out of it at home. The weather is good today so the scientists head out to do some work. When these mountains were formed millions of years ago the local environment looked much different there was no ice cover on the land was covered with plants and trees. Geologists take a long term view of life on earth they think in terms of millennia not centuries and many scientists believe that today we are living in the final stages of the most recent ice age. Stephen grass be discovered some unusual vegetation on a mountainside recently and now hes come back to take a closer look. Theres a freshwater spring here a rare occurrence in this part of the arctic. The topsoil fogs only in the summer time. Crespi speculates on the origins of the spring. Were finding more and more different areas with springs and were able to record temperatures weve left data longer than the springs through the winter and we can see that if all winter long so it turns out that these very high latitude art. Regions are sheets of areas of very active groundwater pools and challenges or conceptions those see whats happening and it really tells us we dont know as much as we thought we did those exciting so few things to learn. The researchers have dug this the ice spring it continues to flow even in winter when the temperature is minus 4 degrees centigrade. The water temperature at that time is 6 degrees. Speer captures a thermal image of the spring before the team heads back to camp. Victoria peace specializes in the study of plate tectonics the movement of parts of the earths crust. Shes been doing research in the arctic for 20 years and also teaches at the university of stockholm today shes working with a colleague from canada. And the arctic is a hole in the Global Warming the icing framework of climate today industry not just petroleum but other Economic Resources fishing shipping Transportation Mining Oil and gas are all interested in accessing what they perceive to be a new. Reservoir a new region right and i would say that the industry side of things are very interested in the arctic whats going on here and how they may be able to capitalize on ice free conditions in the arctic. Some experts speculate that the melting of the arctic ice open up to shipping routes between asia and europe. That could have substantial strategic and economic benefits for several countries including china. Believe that china do have a role to play in seeking peace. The ability in that region and in promoting a sense of ability Sustainable Development in the area Chinese Government issued a white paper on the arctic policy in which the polgar silk road has been. Announced as a policy of the Chinese Government and you can see the north sea of routes. I have to because. Commercial they feasible all of 10 years all the celebrated melting of ice in the arctic region. China aims to create a new silk road trade route that would run from asia to europe via the north pole. And. Right now china has to move its exports to europe through the indian ocean the proposed new arctic route would cut shipping time by 20 percent for about 2 weeks. Some experts say that china also wants access to the arctic switch supply of Natural Resources. The growing chinese middle class is basically screaming for resources from all over the planet. And then the oxy is no exception so what you see is basically the same interest for resources as china have in south america and china in africa and there and you can also i think today see that china moves in in the places where United States is not present always United States for south then you see china course in and and we also stopped to see that in the oxy. Meanwhile back in our to canada be tory a piece prepares to fly back to camp. The research that she and her colleagues are doing here could be used by any number of countries. The scientists have no control over where their data ends up and thats fine with victoria. I look at the tectonic environment maracas form and that information is useful to the industry. And what they do with it is beyond me. This Research Work is difficult time consuming and expensive its not yet clear how the governments and businesses that are funding these projects will make use of all the data. But if they have a strategic interest in the arctic after the ice theyll have to start preparing now. Its a service i start with some materials from the franklin basin. That quotes it these researchers at germanys institute for geosciences and Natural Resources and how know if we are going to analyze some rock samples that were taken off the coast of western greenland theyve got a lot of work ahead of them. First to cut away a slice of rock thats just 30 microns think about the same width as a sheet of paper. Then well examine it under a microscope. My voice jesus because science this sample is almost transparent its thinner than a single human hair. That will allow us to examine in detail how this material interacts with light. And that will help us identify the individual minerals that are contained in this sample is a. Convenience and have been a holiday and. Weve returned to nunavut the local residents sometimes find jobs helping the Foreign Research teams. Several countries have a vested interest in exploiting the regions Natural Resources and the Scientists Research may help them to do that. To him you would hope that is the arctic ice continues to melt to be able to share in the economic benefits and have more of a say in how they live their lives. Over the centuries in you would have proven that they can adapt to even the harshest climate conditions but theyre tired of living in primitive dwellings and eating only the meat and fish that nature provides as their ancestors did before them. Were. This is Greenland Capital nuku located on the southwest coast. Greenland has been part of denmark since 814 but now enjoys a great deal of autonomy. Still subsidy payments from denmark make up about 60 percent of the territorys budget. The capital is in the middle of a construction boom as greenland gains more control over the allocation of revenues generated by the exploitation of Natural Resources. We want to diversify away connery inchers off generating new income sources for our country. We see. The mining us. As a future force along with tourism along with other industries that we are trying to attract to green so there is a consideration of making ali me less vulnerable for rapid or sudden changes of fish. The fishing industry is a key element in greenlands economy fish and shellfish make up about 90 percent of total exports and as much as 20 percent of g. D. P. Greenland left the European Economic community in 1905 in a dispute over fishing policy. Part of todays catch is being unloaded at the port of new. Olson works for oil greenland the territory largest Fishing Company that has more than 40 processing facilities in greenland and also on Canadas Atlantic coast. The Company Headquarters are located here in new cook. The most important fish shellfish is from the green and i think it has a good price in the International Market so its a good species to have but at the moment. Our main supply us all the local fisherman. In for the near coastal fishery so that approximately 3000 people fisherman delivering the fish for our factories and besides that we have a lot of troll us that off fishing in the in the sea. The royal greenland also operates its own fleet of Fishing Vessels one of them is just coming to port. Monaco us and meets the captain yes the ship was at sea for 2 weeks and brought in 250 tons of fish the catch was immediately frozen onboard. This is the cooling facility the temperature is minus 25 degrees centigrade each bag contains 30 kilos of caught. Some scientists predict the Climate Change will force large numbers of fish and shellfish to move north into colder water. In addition there are indications that the area off greenlands coast is being overfished. Tonic has seen that happen before. There is a species that is coming back back in the. Eightys there was a lot of a lot of cut in the greenland dixie but suddenly it disappeared so there hasnt been the fishing in the last 20 years and green and so its its 1st the last years that it started to come back. After the trawler and not its catch it goes back out to sea. The market for fish and fish products is good right now sales and prices are rising still the fishing industry does not generate enough revenue to support greenlands entire economy on its own so the territory will have to find new sources of income. At the moment the fishery cannot alone. Maintain this economy for greenland so we have to welcome some new businesses in the greenland tourism is one of the things that the politicians are talking about and though we have to develop new businesses to to gain some more Economic Growth in greenland. Greenland is one of europes most remote tourist destinations but visitors are not attracted by Luxury Hotels or wellness facilities there are none here. Theyve come to see the territorys breathtaking natural beauty. Those who are looking for a unique travel experience will find it here. There are ruins of viking settlements. In. The northern lights. And arctic wildlife including reindeer. These vast landscapes are populated by more than 20 species of mammals and dozens of bird species. Move. Me a. Room. But greenland is an expensive place to visit food prices are high mostly because supplies have to be imported. The infrastructure needs a lot of them. Only small planes can land at the airport in new. The runway is too short for large commercial passenger jets. Freemans government is trying to line up Foreign Investors who will help finance improvements high on the list of potential partners or chinese businesses. Im not afraid of china in general i think china. And metals and minerals sure its an important investment country. Last year a Company Owned by the Chinese Government submitted a bid for the expansion of 3 small airports in greenland but the government in denmark stepped in and blocked the bid citing security and financial concerns. In any case greenland needs to make a serious effort to improve its infrastructure. Definitely the logistics are very difficult it is far away from both europe and north america and its a very big island the biggest island in the world spread out over a very large area so it definitely looked just tickle challenges and also environmental challenges and from one form of bad weather. In large parts of greenland many people earn a living by hunting. One of them is to be a signal its use and who lives in the look on the southeast coast. During the summer he goes hunting every week. In the winter months he could just fish. This is the only way that he can provide food for his family. That you know up enough my father and brothers told me how to hunt i dont need and im. Great in the new longer alone i should know soon ill go by myself. And been yeah. Been yeah i did good when my family lives on the mate all the fish that i bring back you know. So far weve always had enough to eat up. Weve never go hungry. At night if i make sure of that. I dont. Know who. To b. S. And his family eat reindeer and musk ox meat in summer. And in winter mostly seals and narwhals a small species of whale. Will never. Be as is not concerned that the arctic ice is melting hes learned to adapt to his environment. To be as often takes a long Foreign Tourists on his hunting trips the extra income as allowed him to buy a few luxuries like a snowmobile and an Outboard Motor for his boat. When you. Grow vegetables here. We can only provide on its. Own we dont waste any food. If we dont eat it right away well freeze it and story. And if you are going to be noticable. Those who prefer to buy their food instead of hunting or fishing for it can shop at the supermarkets and dizzy like. But the food in the shops is expensive because a lot of it has to be imported mostly from europe. Some Food Supplies are brought in by helicopter. There arent many trees in greenland only a few species are able to grow here mostly in the far south but that may change because of Global Warming. During the summer some crops are grown in the south. As legend has it the region was given the name greenland by a 10th century norse explorer he hoped that a pleasant sounding name would attract settlers. The residents of to see like would love to grow vegetables here in the summer and that may happen if the arctic ice continues to melt. 2000 people live into z. Like its the largest town in southeastern greenland. But behind the colorful facades of these homes many people suffer from depression and alcoholism. The community only recently started to discuss these problems openly. The causes include the towns high Unemployment Rate and the poverty that goes along with it. Domestic abuse is common. The suicide rate among young men is high. And during the winter the bodies cant be buried because the ground is frozen. Food. The local mortuary is located next to a church the bodies are kept here until spring. Many local residents simply have not been able to cope with the transition from a semi nomadic eco centric culture to a modern society thats based on commerce and consumerism. Some are frustrated by the presence of wealthy tourists when they themselves cant find a job. Theres no need to go hunting anymore you can just buy food at the supermarket. Many people about it up on welfare. Every family in greenland knows the pain of the social problems that we are seeing in the statistics and they are quite high i mean its both suicides and as i said. We do see. A lot of violence as well and violence against women and children and this is something that we need to fix and i think we need to fix it within the next generation or otherwise it will be every every family it is being affected by this 34 times over we have to stop it now. Tilly martin a son is a member of Greenlands Parliament and has been speaking out on these problems. Shes half innuit and have to. She believes that greenland should maintain close ties to denmark because she fears that the Indigenous Peoples will not be able to survive on their own. Right back. Politician elect a ham and also hopes for a Better Future for greenland but she believes that this will only happen if the territory wins its independence from denmark. I have a danish passport but thats all im not danish i dont think danish i dont speak danger at home i dont feel like a dane and i dont feel like at home when i meant im not. Greenland continues to move toward independence from denmark and today even young and what children learn to take pride in their traditional culture their language and their homeland. A lot of people around the world are definitely concerned about the effects of Global Warming but many in greenland see these environmental changes as an opportunity to free themselves from foreign influence. Many of the european immigrants who helped build this territory are buried in the cemetery. And insists a question of what society. That we want in the future for the people of green. Independence is a question of the freedom of the choices the government of 39 should be doing in regards to the Foreign Affairs in terms of the safety and the military issues connected to green. Denmark is responsible for greenland security and maintain several military bases here. But in the near future greenland will have more control over its defense and foreign policy. Still some danes are reluctant to sever ties completely for a number of different reasons. For. That danish greenlandic relationship goes back many 100 years so there is there is cut your ties there are historical ties people have married each other a lot of greenland us living in denmark theres a lot of Danish People living in greenland so so so its not just you know a matter of pulling the plug and then say from now on we are independent of the. Denmark also understands the importance of maintaining good relations with the territory to destroy teach equally important and rich in Natural Resources. As the competition for those resources intensifies denmark aims to maintain its security presence there. Many danes believe that the governments current policies on greenland benefits both sides. That is well i would argue that it is difficult to find a better deal if you are looking at the world from a Greenlandic Perspective then being caught. With denmark and i would doubt that if your partner up with china or anyone else that you know favors in return. China keeps a close eye on developments in the arctic from its embassy in reykjavik iceland the Ambassador Says that the world has nothing to fear from beijing straight policies the Chinese Government has no intention of a campaigning with the u. S. Side for the influence we regard space on this marriage and also we have a strong wish to develop a Good Relationship with all the countries. As world powers compete for position and influence in greenland to anyone people are standing up for their rights when these children grow up they may find themselves living in a country that has won its freedom from denmark but is heavily dependent on china. That in us and canada also want more autonomy some even favor closer ties with innuit peoples of other countries. We were one people before the governments were in the east and divided us through borders we work with we work across borders we have always been one in it we recognize that we know we have rights as it is peoples. Okalik easy ak is a former chair of the in units are composed the council and often speaks out on issues that affect Indigenous Peoples. Here shes meeting with an old friend former nun of a premier eva arya. Theyve set up camp on the outskirts of none of us can call it. The. We will never completely lose. Who we are. Its not in the middle. With. The. Land. We want to work with our governments and we want to work with the industries. That are up here that want to come up here. Recognize that act and. Work with us to your collective benefit i guess. Every year hundreds of delegates from dozens of countries gather in reykjavik for the annual Arctic Circle assembly and the participants include politicians scientists business exactly. Theres representatives of a digitas peoples and others who are interested in the future of the arctic region and how it will be affected by Climate Change. The organizations chairman is former iceland president all up for a good team so he says its important to bring together as Many International representatives as possible to discuss policy. The problem for the arctic is not in the arctic and it should be heavily industrialized countries in the world and without putting about in perspective where one. Of the future of. The arctic ice has been rapidly melting now for 2 decades the process has even affected glaciers in greenland that are 100000 years old. Scientists estimate that 10000 tons of arctic ice are lost every 2nd due to Global Warming but some say that this may turn out to be a positive development. Summers are. Getting longer theres vegetation. I believe. Were not there are all in need things. That have become so. I guess she is their prophet. I believe this proposition. As the arctic ice continues to melt the Indigenous People stand to benefit from the exploitation of the regions Natural Resources and the creation of new trade routes. Increased prosperity may help them to preserve their natural way of life but as all if i could use and points out the future of the arctic has become an international issue. We are now wishing for the 1st time in Human History the arctic. Becoming a global. Com ship im sure all the versions of the world from what happening and the author and all show how the rushed over wall in part should all be altered. To. Heres how the variance celebrate their own childrens best. Movie theyve been blocking to the shill theater for 150 years. A small original at the worlds biggest public celebration. The romance in 30 minutes on the double. Or. Im scared that the volume or thats hard and in the end is a me youre not allowed to stay here anymore we will send you back. Are you familiar with this. With the smugglers with violence and. Whats your story. d on what numbers of women especially in victims of violence comes in and take part and send us your story we are trying always to understand this new culture. Another visitor nothing else you want to become a citizen. In for migrants your platform for reliable information. Voters in afghanistan head to the polls to elect a new president. After the election was cancelled twice over security concerns the taliban warned voters to stay away. For 6