Abstract

The Arctic passages are economically important waterways connecting North America, Western Europe, and East Asia. Global climate change is melting the Arctic sea ice and will improve the navigability of the Arctic passages. The opening of the Arctic route will facilitate the exploration and development of Arctic resources, which can alleviate the energy crisis, but it may ignite a worldwide “Arctic resource war”. Besides, the navigation of the Arctic passages will also burden the Arctic eco-environment and trigger a wave of eco-environmental effects in the Arctic region include exacerbating environmental pollution, threatening survival of life, intensifying climate change, changing local production and lives, even worldwide. On this basis, this study uses a system dynamics analysis of positive and negative effects to review the resource and environmental effects due to opening the Arctic passages and proposes the measures to ensure the resource and environmental sustainability.

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