Russia, the United States, Canada and other northern countries are trying to assert jurisdiction over the Arctic, whose oil, gas and minerals until recently have been considered too difficult to recover. The dispute over who controls what has become more heated with growing evidence that global warming is shrinking polar ice, opening up new shipping lanes and resource development possibilities.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/17/russian-president-threate_n_127283.html
