Arctic melt, smash and grab ahead

Humanity's rapacious reaction to the Arctic ice minimum is depressingly predictable

SHELL'S push to open up the Arctic Ocean is not going well. Having already scaled back its plans, it may be prevented from exploratory drilling in the Beaufort Sea this year. The reason? Whaling takes priority.

With the Arctic sea ice at its lowest for at least 3 million years (see "Arctic ice low heralds end of 3-million-year cover"), the rush to exploit hitherto inaccessible resources - principally oil, fish and minerals - is well and truly on. The massive melt constitutes an environmental disaster for many of the world's inhabitants, to say nothing of its flora and fauna (see "What ice-free summers will mean for Arctic life"), but for some people, it is simply a commercial opportunity.

The interest groups vying for the Arctic's wealth are likely to intersect in unprecedented ways. Shell's deferral to native Alaskans, whose traditional hunting season it is obliged to respect, is a portent of esoteric clashes to come.

The melting of the Arctic ice has long been forecast. Now that it is under way with a vengeance, the less predictable consequences of humanity's impact on the climate will become clearer. Many will be startling for all concerned; short-term gains aside, few are likely to enrich our lives. Welcome to the age of global warming.

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