The International Polar Year was actually two years – it ran from March 2007 through March 2009.  Among the many activities of the IPY was the Arctic Energy Summit, hosted by the Institute of the North (you can find a link to the Institute among the Research links in the bar to the right).  The final report of that summit was published last month and can be downloaded from this page.

The US Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic is home to 20% of the world’s  fossil fuel energy resources, and that the vast majority of these resources is completely untapped.  The Arctic also holds vast potential for generating wind, hydro, tidal and geothermal energy.  There are 8 nations (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States) with claims on lands in the Arctic, and the geopolitical struggle to either dominate these resources or simply to bring them to market will be of increasing importance as the century matures.