Russia’s recent claim to exclusive rights to over 1.2 million square kilometers of Arctic sea shelf has returned the Arctic to the forefront of international security discussions worldwide. This claim has been backed by ample scientific evidence, according to Russia, whose first claim was rejected by the United Nations in 2002 because it lacked sufficient evidence. If accepted by the UN, Russia’s exclusive economic zone will be extended significantly into the region, granting it exclusive rights to economic activities within the new boundaries.

Russia is not the only country interested in incorporating the Arctic into its sovereign territory; Canada, the United States, Denmark, and Norway have also made attempts to control northern territory, many of which are also pursuing formal claims. Interest in the region can be tied primarily to untapped energy resources and trade routes.

The Arctic waters and the resources they contain are increasingly available due to the effects of climate change—melting ice in particular. If drilling for oil and gas begins in the region, however, climate change will be accelerated and the results will extend far beyond the region, with experts warning that the effects of climate change will hit the world’s most vulnerable and impoverished regions the hardest.

Greenpeace reacted to Russia’s announcement with concern, noting especially the fragility of the Arctic ecosystem. In 2013, Greenpeace activists protesting Russia’s Arctic oil exploration were arrested on board their ship, the Arctic Sunrise, and detained by Russian authorities under charges of piracy and later hooliganism.

Observers do not regard the move as threatening in itself—the region has been contested for years, with several overlapping claims between countries. However, Russia’s recent militarization of the region places renewed emphasis on the need for cooperation between nations regarding Arctic territory. Russia’s new military bases in the region are helping the country position itself as a dominant force in the Arctic. Additionally, a new military unit, dubbed the Russian Joint Strategic Command North (JSCN), will help the country project its hard power in the north.

These developments are only the latest in the scramble for sovereign territory in the Arctic. Canada and the United States—close allies in general—have been unable to resolve two sovereignty disputes in the region, one regarding the Northwest Passage and another regarding the Beaufort Sea. The intense interest in the region suggests its likely emergence as an important geopolitical frontline in the coming decades.