Climate change, extractivist infrastructure and environmental conflicts at the Northern Sea-Polar Silk Road intersection

This study employs a political ecology lens to analyze the interconnections between extractive and infrastructural developments, reported climate change impacts and the experiences of affected communities in socio-environmental conflicts along the Northern Sea-Polar Silk Road. Python programming was...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Hanacek, Ksenija|||0000-0001-5283-2309, Apostolopoulou, Evangelia|||0000-0002-8166-4639, Kröger, Markus|||0000-0001-7324-4549, Banerji, Sujai, Dunlap, Alexander, Landau, Arielle, Martínez Alier, Joan|||0000-0002-6124-539X
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:uabarcelona_::3eaf264528c364ac1ef4eda95308901e
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/327036
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.erss.2026.104600
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Arctic
Climate change
Corridor
Decoloniality
Environmental conflicts
Extractivism
Infrastructure
SDG 7 - affordable and clean energy
SDG 13 - climate action
Descripción
Sumario:This study employs a political ecology lens to analyze the interconnections between extractive and infrastructural developments, reported climate change impacts and the experiences of affected communities in socio-environmental conflicts along the Northern Sea-Polar Silk Road. Python programming was employed to process Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) datasets, generating density information on ship movements and applying logarithmic scaling to capture both sparse ship activity in remote areas and high concentrations in key traffic zones. The findings reveal a notable increase in infrastructure developments and areas of concentrated maritime traffic, including existing projects such as Yamal LNG or the newly emerging Vostok mega-carbon complex. This research offers critical insights into the intersections of climate change and infrastructure-led development corridors, with important implications for Indigenous Peoples and local environmental justice organizations. The results underscore the need to address the colonial dimensions of socio-environmental transformations, especially in the context of the climate crisis that is reshaping both the polar region and global systems.