Melting ice is opening the Arctic to trade routes

Arctic melting is opening up new trade routes, but the impact will be smaller than thought

Once impenetrable by any ship other than powerful icebreakers, the Arctic waters between Europe and Asia are now navigable for almost half the year by most commercial ships thanks to rising temperatures. Some think a new, chillier, silk road is emerging. Melting ice flows - sea ice coverage has fallen by 30% over the past several decades - as well as Russia's moves to encourage international shipping through the Northern Sea Route (NSR), have prompted pundits to predict a rapid rise in shipping activities in the Arctic. Expectations are high that Arctic-shipping routes, particularly the NSR, will rival historical lanes and complement the Suez Canal as a key waterway for trade to and from Asi