The Battle for the Arctic (2009)

The fight for control of the Arctic may be the most important story of our century. With the disappearance of the polar ice cap at the top of the world the race for resources and control of Northwest Passage is on. Satellite imagery shows sea ice declining at a rate of almost 85,000 square kilometres a day despite having recently experienced the coldest winter in eight years. And for the first time the polar route of the Northwest Passage over North America and the Northeast Passage over Russia have been free of ice. The map of Canada is changing and The Battle for the Arctic shows Canada’s efforts to safeguard its sovereignty with a renewed commitment to the North.

This is the story of Canada, the United States, Russia and Denmark and how they are fighting for the last great land grab in the world that is ironically located hundreds of metres under the Arctic waters. Some say that 25% of the world's undiscovered energy reserves are to be found there. Others calculate that it's closer to 50%. No matter who is right, the profit to be made under the melting polar ice is in the trillions of dollars.

But whose land and water is it anyways? Canadians believe that they have sovereignty over the Arctic waters and lands, but then again so do the other Northern countries. In 2008, Russia provoked outrage worldwide when they declared ownership by planting their flag on the ocean bed beneath the North Pole. The U.S. challenges Canada’s claim to parts of the Beaufort Sea and even tiny Denmark has confronted Canada over a 1.3 square kilometer piece of rock called Hans Island.

And who controls the Northwest Passage? The past two summers has seen the passage clear of ice, opening up a lucrative new shipping route, cutting thousands of kilometers and dollars in international trade costs while creating new environmental dangers. The European Union has joined the U.S. in declaring the North West Passage an “international strait”.

The Battle for the Arctic reveals Canada’s efforts to safeguard its sovereignty with a renewed commitment to the North. From aboard the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Cutter Louis St. Laurent in the Beaufort, across the North West Passage on the CCGS Amundsen to the pack ice near Eureka, this is a clear-eyed assessment of the battle brewing at the very top of the world, and Canada’s chances of ‘winning’ it all.