Presentation short abstract

The presentation will discuss newly emerging maritime Polar corridor and its associated extractive industries and international companies across colonized and melting Arctic territories, which render resources more accessible and strategically exploitable.

Presentation long abstract

This study employs a political ecology lens to analyze the interconnections between extractive and infrastructural developments, reported climate change impacts and the experiences of affected communities in socio-environmental conflicts along the Northern Sea-Polar Silk Road. The findings reveal a notable increase in infrastructure developments and areas of concentrated maritime traffic, including existing projects such as Yamal LNG or the newly emerging Vostok mega-carbon complex. This research offers critical insights into the intersections of climate change and infrastructure-led development corridors involving Russian, Indian and Chinese companies, with important implications for Indigenous Peoples and local environmental justice organizations. The results underscore the need to address the colonial dimensions of socio-environmental transformations, especially in the context of the climate crisis that is reshaping both the polar region and global systems. The paper also takes a critical look at claims about the viability of the Northern Sea Route development by both Russian and Chinese investments, claims that are traditionally used in maritime infrastructure and traffic growth studies in the Arctic region. Even with the possibility of project failures due to sanctions, investment shortfalls, deteriorating infrastructure, or harsh environmental conditions, the Russian Arctic persists as central geopolitical and economic frontier. Within this colonial-extractivist paradigm, extreme climate events are interpreted not as reasons for structural transformation, but as new investment opportunities in historically colonized Arctic territories.