Commercializing the Arctic

Trump has shifted the U.S. approach to the Arctic, promoting oil and gas even as scientists have issued more dire warnings about the region.

A blast of Arctic air has plunged much of the United States into a bitter cold snap. About 202 million people — around 60 percent of the population of the contiguous United States — live in the areas expected to see freezing temperatures over the next week.

Follow that frigid air north to the Arctic, and you find a region undergoing sweeping changes that could have global consequences. (I also wrote about the worrying state of the Arctic last year.)

Temperatures in the Arctic are warming far faster than the rest of the planet. Sea ice is rapidly declining, opening up new shipping routes. And record temperatures and thawing permafrost are turning Arctic rivers orange with toxic heavy metals, according to a new report from federal scientists.

But this year, there are also near-term policy upheavals that are reshaping the Arctic.

The Trump administration is working to commercialize Alaska, opening up previously protected waters to oil and gas drilling, and allowing preparations for a road that would reach a proposed copper and zinc mine. The White House is also prioritizing national security in the region, expanding military operations and vying for influence in Greenland.

Against this backdrop, Trump has his eyes fixed on the area. In an executive order signed in April, he instructed the government to take steps to “ensure the security and leadership of Arctic waterways.”

The Arctic as a strategic asset

Shortly after retaking office this year, Trump began moving to exert American influence over Greenland, which is a Danish territory that is mostly covered by a vast ice sheet. Since then, the White House has used a mix of flattery and threats to try and make its case. The U.S. is adding new icebreakers to its fleet, and Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland in March.

This has all led to fraying alliances, with Denmark’s military intelligence service recently raising concerns about the United States.

On Monday, the White House appointed Tom Dans to lead the United States Arctic Research Commission. Dans has been a key figure in Trump’s efforts to exert influence in Greenland and is the brother of Paul Dans, an architect of Project 2025, a right-wing blueprint for overhauling the government.