The Arctic: Who Owns it and How Long Will it Be There?

On February 16th, teachers attended a private after-hours tour of Pacific Science Center to learn about the interconnected environmental issues and sovereignty disputes happening today in the Arctic. Our speakers included Nadine Fabbi, Associate Director of Canadian Studies at the University of Washington, who introduced teachers to governance issues in the Arctic and Zeta Strickland, Education Manager at Pacific Science Center, who discussed the impact of climate change in the Arctic.

The goal of the resource packet linked below is to introduce students and teachers to the complex environmental and political changes happening today in the Arctic. As a result of global warming, the Arctic is melting at a record rate, leaving large swaths of the Arctic region ice-free for longer and longer periods of time during the year, granting unprecedented access to the region’s shipping ways and resources. This new ice-free frontier has enormous political implications as countries around the Arctic scramble to establish sovereignty in the area. By bridging science and social studies, students and teachers can become better equipped to tackle this interdisciplinary problem.