Traveling the fabled Northwest Passage – an historical ‘Holy Grail’ for European explorers in the service of empires past - is quickly becoming a reality as warming trends melt more and more arctic ice. While average global temperatures have risen one degree Fahrenheit, in the arctic regions the temperature increase has been between three and four degrees. Some scientists predict the Northwest Passage may be free of ice within 50 years. Already, one tourist boat has traversed the Northwest Passage successfully, and Canadian naval ships have ventured further north than at any time in recent decades. The commercialization of the now far more easily navigable passage may have severe consequences for indigenous communities already affected by climate change. Commercialization of this route could lead to rapid development of Nunavut and other areas, with unpredictable cultural and social effects. Already, global warming trends have deeply altered the Arctic, moving the treeline and disrupting the ecosystem in complex ways that threaten subsistence activities and traditional lifestyles.
