Polar Opposites

The frigid extremes of the planet are often ignored and largely misunderstood, even though they cover 11 million square miles (37.7 million square kilometres) and are often dismissed as uninhabitable, unimportant, frozen wastes that constitute the white margins at the edge of the map of the world. Their harsh environment and geographical isolation make them difficult to visit and challenging to live in. However, these two regions are so geographically different from each other, but play a fundamental role in the environmental balance of the globe’s climate. They are both strategically important and could act as geopolitical flashpoints. It is therefore crucial that we begin to look at these two areas from a more critical perspective, understand their pivotal importance to the future. The politics that surround these two areas are complex and fascinating, the economic value is significant, the social characteristics of the two regions are very different but equally important. As technology evolves mastering these two areas will alter, which will throw up a range of legal and environmental hurdles. The Arctic and Antarctic are both maritime domains and managing the maritime security concerns will be considerable. This article is designed to describe some of the aspects of the polar regions, provide some background and prompt discussion. These regions are destined to be more important to our future than most of have imagined.