The US isn't the first country you might think of when you think of the arctic, but thanks to Alaska, the US is a major stakeholder in Arctic issues. In fact, the USA is a permanent participant in the Arctic Council, the intergovernmental organization that coordinates action between arctic nations.
What happens when we don't think of the US as part of the arctic? Most of the country is not in the arctic -- only the northernmost part of Alaska is inside the arctic circle -- but the implications of not considering the arctic in our governmental and corporate decisions are many. After all, problems that impact the arctic do not stay in the arctic, nor are they only applicable to the arctic. The hot ticket issue impacting the arctic is climate change, and the changing biodiversity in the arctic also impacts the biodiversity of everywhere else in the world too. The problems impacting the indigenous community are also uplifted in arctic forums, given that indigenous peoples are greatly intertwined with arctic issues. Decisions made at any level ultimately will impact the arctic in some way, so it is important that public officials understand how the arctic works in order to make effective decisions about it.
Thoughts? Questions? Comments about the arctic?