Climate change offers chance of major economic boost in Arctic for Russia, says Putin

The combination of technological advance and climate change will see a major economic boost to Russia from the Arctic in the years ahead, said Vladimir Putin. 

He spoke on the opportunities of the Northern Sea Route and energy developments after a visit to an ice cave in the remote polar outpost of Alexandra Land, only some 900 kilometres from the North Pole. 

'Today we took the first tanker in the newly constructed port of Sabetta,' he said at an Arctic development forum in Arkangelsk. 'An absolutely new port, built from scratch in the Arctic zone, in an open field, as they say. Until recently, it would have been difficult to do this with such quality. 

'The ship that came to this port today is modern technology, it breaks the ice, itself, like an icebreaker, goes through two metre thick. This is about new technologies.

'The second essential factor that supports our optimism is climate change... The number of days of navigation along the Northern Sea Route has increased dramatically in recent times. This suggests that transport opportunities are improving.'  

On his trip to the Franz Josef Land archipelago - when he was accompanied by premier Dmitry Medvedev and Defence Minister Sergei Shoygu -  he was told by scientists that 'they observe the constant melting of snow, glaciers'. Rather than wringing hands, this gives opportunities, he said. 

'This suggests that with climate change, come more favourable conditions for the use of this region for economic purposes. If these trends develop this way, then look what happens. Today, we ship on the Northern Sea Route 1.4 million tons, by 2035 it will already be 30 million tons. Here's the growth.

'When implementing one of our major projects - Yamal-LNG project, and this is another confirmation that such programs can be implemented in these latitudes, an absolutely unique new plant is built, construction is already finished. 

'Previously, it would have been hard to imagine such a thing, but it begins to work at the end of this year, it is almost a fact, and will produce 16.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas. 

'And the volume of traffic will increase at once four times over the Northern Sea Route. And in both directions can work, from Europe to Asia and backwards.' Putin said: 'All this shows that our plans to develop this region of the globe, they are quite viable.'

He made clear that while Russia supported international efforts to control manmade pollution, global warming 'will continue anyway and anyhow'.

The said evidence from Franz Josef Land was that warming probably started back in the 1930s and at that time we did not have much manmade effect, but the global warming started nevertheless. 

'It is not about preventing of global warming' - which is 'impossible'. 'It is probably related to some global cycles or some greater outer space cycles. It is about how to adjust to this. We need more research on that, and people and local communities to get adjusted, to get accustomed.'

Putin said that on his Arctic trip 'we looked at the ice at a glacier, which took hundreds, or thousands or millions of years to shape. And one of the layers, believe me, was clearly marked with carbon, thousand year ago, where there were no plants.  

'Please be aware that several eruptions of Etna volcano would be greater then all the manmade impact on the environment. So we need to study these things.'

Within Russia's development of the Arctic 'the key thing is to maintain and preserve the bio diversity and protect the natural environment - as well as the interests of indigenous people of the north. We should not only extract mineral resources but also protect nature. 

'I also mentioned the project of ours that we will be implementing with seven countries, it is Yamal LNG. All the technologies that we have attend allow us to have zero emissions, zero litter. It's all recycled and eliminated in nature friendly and safe manner. So if we adopt such technologies we do not run any risk.'

With Putin at the Arctic Forum were Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Icelandic President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson.