On August 2, 2007 Russia’s most famous Arctic explorer, Artur Chilingarov planted a flag below the North Pole.  In response media, political pundits, academics and NGOs embarked on a new debate over the future relevance and political role of the Arctic. Front page news stories exclaimed that the North may be heading towards new Cold War fight for power, yet this time around over physical territory and resources rather than ideology. These debates were, however, part of an ongoing and broader international discussion regarding the scientific evidence and reality of global climatic changes taking place in the Arctic. 
For much of the world climate change is viewed as one of the world’s leading challenges. Yet, for the Arctic melting ice is perceived simultaneously as a global environmental crisis and a newfound wealth of opportunities.  Climatic changes are challenging the resilience of the health, livelihoods and physical living conditions of many Arctic communities.  Yet, ironically and to an almost unrestrained excitement for some actors these climatic changes are also creating opportunities that extend from the possibility of new international shipping routes and access to hydrocarbon resources to increased tourism and funding for Arctic research.  These juxtapositions are coupled by mounting regional and international indigenous political agency.  This agency includes in many cases indigenous rights to resources and the growing legitimacy of Arctic indigenous traditional scientific knowledge. These challenges and potential opportunities are neither obvious or without a growing debate over how to sustainably govern and manage the Arctic and are creating a geostrategic shift of the role of the Arctic in global politics.