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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Climate Change Creates a New Cold War in the Arctic

    The Arctic's warming waters are full of ships, but few of them are flying a US flag. Forty-one Russian icebreakers patrol busy shipping channels, and that nation's laid claim to more than half a million square miles of the region's rich seabed. China, South Korea and Singapore are also vying to be polar expedition superpowers.

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    KCRW placeholderBy Barbara Bogaev • Sep 2, 2015 • 35m Listen

    The Arctic's warming waters are full of ships, but few of them are flying a US flag. Forty-one Russian icebreakers patrol busy shipping channels, and that nation's laid claim to more than half a million square miles of the region's rich seabed. China, South Korea and Singapore are also vying to be polar expedition superpowers. So far on his Alaska trip the President has hiked a glacier, taken a boat ride and talked a lot about rising seas and the urgent need to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions. He's also called for more Coast Guard icebreakers and an expanded US presence in the region. Can America catch up with its rivals and protect its interests and national security in the Arctic?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Obama Visits the Arctic Circle
    1. 1:38Iran Nuke Deal Secures Crucial Vote in Congress
    2. 8:29Climate Change Creates a New Cold War in the ArcticYou’re reading this
    3. 44:35When the Mentally Ill Land in Jail Instead of in Psych Treatment
    • KCRW placeholder

      Barbara Bogaev

      radio journalist

    • KCRW placeholder

      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/e23b2c8a5a7a4a05410f82a6104e445f/custom_thumbnail_large.png?h=250&fm=webp

      Benjamin Gottlieb

      Reporter, Fill-in Host

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Alex DeMarban

      Alaska Dispatch News

    • KCRW placeholder

      Fran Ulmer

      US Arctic Research Commission

    • KCRW placeholder

      David Titley

      Pennsylvania State University

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Obama Visits the Arctic Circle
    1. 1:38Iran Nuke Deal Secures Crucial Vote in Congress
    2. 8:29Climate Change Creates a New Cold War in the ArcticYou’re reading this
    3. 44:35When the Mentally Ill Land in Jail Instead of in Psych Treatment
    Back to To the Point