President Barack Obama made history this week by becoming the first U.S. president to cross the invisible line into the Arctic Circle while in office. He used the trip to draw attention to global warming trends that are melting ice in the Arctic Ocean.
Scientists predict the body of water will be ice-free for much of the summer, as early as 2030. That calls into question who has access to what in an increasingly accessible part of the world.
Ian Lesser of The German Marshall Fund speaks with Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins about the new race to the Arctic.
Guest
- Ian Lesser, senior director for foreign and security policy at The German Marshall Fund of the United States, and executive director of GMF’s Transatlantic Center, the think tank’s Brussels Office.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
