With Arctic sea ice reaching record lows, people have begun to explore routes through Canada’s Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route above the coast of Russia. These routes have the potential to significantly shorten transit times between Asia and both Europe and North America, reducing shipping costs and fostering international trade. At the moment there is little guarantee that the routes will be open in any given year, which is enough to keep shippers from taking full advantage of the shrinking ice. Having a better grip on when the ice is likely to recede enough to allow shipping would greatly aid planning. So two geographers at UCLA took a series of climate models and ran the numbers for two emissions scenarios. Based on their estimates, lightly reinforced vessels could cross directly over the pole by mid-century.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.