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The melting of Arctic glaciers is increasingly influencing geopolitics in the region. The Arctic is warming about four times faster than the rest of the planet, exposing natural resources, opening potential shipping routes, and driving increased military activity among major powers. According to The Washington Post, these changes are creating both new opportunities and risks of conflict—factors that may help explain former US President Donald Trump’s sudden interest in acquiring Greenland.
Although Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax,” the strategic value of the Danish autonomous territory is partly the result of environmental transformation. As sea ice melts, Greenland becomes more attractive for economic development. Sherri Goodman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and former US deputy undersecretary of defense for environmental security, noted that melting ice is making the island increasingly appealing from a strategic and economic perspective.
Trump’s suggestion that the United States could use military force against a NATO ally has raised concerns about the future of long-standing defense arrangements. His claim over Greenland is one of the clearest examples of how climate change is already affecting global geopolitics. As the planet’s northernmost regions continue to warm, the consequences could significantly alter how the international community operates.
Experts warn that seasonally ice-free Arctic waters could create an entirely new arena for economic and security competition. Over the past five decades, declining ice coverage has opened shipping routes such as the Northern Sea Route along Russia’s coast and the Northwest Passage through northern Canada. Ice-capable vessels have even begun crossing the central Arctic route.
In October, a Chinese container ship used the Northern Sea Route to shorten its journey to Europe by roughly 20 days compared with the Suez Canal route. Scientists estimate that if global temperatures rise by 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the Arctic’s ice-free period could extend by more than two months. At 3.5°C of warming, most of the Arctic could experience at least three months of open water each year.
However, researchers caution that an ice-free Arctic will remain an extreme and dangerous environment. The loss of sea ice removes a natural buffer that protects coastal communities from strong winds, waves, erosion, and flooding. Unpredictable ocean conditions and a lack of ports could make navigation more hazardous rather than safer.
Despite his interest in Greenland, Trump has not publicly acknowledged the role climate change plays in increasing the region’s value. Moreover, his administration cut funding for climate initiatives, including Arctic research—a move experts say could weaken US geopolitical positioning.
“Climate change is a major national security threat,” Goodman emphasized. “Opening sea routes and changing ice conditions are intensifying the geopolitical tensions we are already witnessing.”
