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Article: Industrialization threatens the Arctic; Drilling, mining, shipping will soar when summer ice is gone.(NEWS)(Editorial)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- November 22, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Peering into the Arctic future is rather like poring over histories of the world's colonial past, where dreams of quick riches grind against all better impulses in the human character. The next few decades will tell whether those tragic chapters have taught us to place more value on things that can't be pried loose and sold.
For several years now, scientists have been documenting the impacts of global warming above the Arctic Circle: retreating summer ice, softening permafrost, wildlife under stress. In the last few months, the outlook for the polar region has shifted dramatically, both in terms of changing climate's direct effects and of the industrial ...