Global warming could enrich Russia but bring NATO closer to its doorstep

The Earth is heating up, but things may not go all south for Russia if it looks north.For most of the world, global warming is a growing calamity. But for Russia, the melting Arctic presents a more complicated picture. As rising temperatures threaten its environment and infrastructure, they could also open new shipping routes and access to resources long locked beneath the ice.The Arctic is warming more than three times faster than the rest of the world and may experience its first practically ice-free summer by 2030, according to the US department of defense's 2024 Arctic strategy.This rapid transformation is reshaping the region's strategic importance, as declining sea ice increases the viability of Arctic maritime transit routes and access to undersea resources.In 2025, commercial ships made more than 100 voyages along the Northern Sea Route and transported over three million metric tons of cargo, marking the highest figure on record.The…