In two episodes, the documentary reports on a region of the world that is radically changing due to climate change and affecting the lives of people living in the Arctic. What it actually means to be at the mercy of the forces of nature in this inhospitable region, the team experiences firsthand and takes viewers on an adventurous journey. Arctic ice is melting. Climate change is advancing faster than in the rest of the world and is making the Arctic the center of global politics. Neighboring countries and world powers compete for influence. At the center of their interest: access to mineral resources and new transport routes, because the melting of the ice opens up new, shorter maritime routes. Is there a new conflict at the North Pole? And how do the inhabitants of the Far North experience the change in their environment? The film crew travels the northern United States, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. He experiences the magic of a magical nature and meets people who have learned to survive in an inhospitable region for centuries. But now they learn how the struggle for power and influence wakes the Arctic from its slumber. In the second part of the documentary, the film crew observes aboard a Norwegian frigate off Spitsbergen how NATO is adapting to the growing Russian commitment in this region through observation missions and an increased presence. . There are considerations for recommissioning underwater bunkers that were closed after the end of the Cold War. Norwegian intelligence has observed Russia’s more aggressive military action in the Arctic in recent years. Russia apparently wants to convey that it can dominate the Arctic. In fact, after the end of the Cold War, Russia identified the Arctic as an important sphere of influence, especially with regard to the Northeast Passage. Alexei Chekunkov, Russia’s Arctic Development Minister, explains why: “The northern sea route via Siberia and Scandinavia is forty percent shorter from China than the route via the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean”. Climate change represents an opportunity for Russia. But how to bring the necessary energy to northern Siberia? The “Akademik Lomonosov”, a floating nuclear power plant, is anchored in the port of Pevek, Russia’s northernmost city. It can power 100,000 homes. The Pevek region, which until now was home to a few miners and reindeer herders, is just one of many starting points for Russia’s northward expansion.
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