大象传媒

Ahead of the COP27 climate change meeting in Egypt, the president of Finland told the 大象传媒 he saw only 鈥渄angers鈥� in exploiting natural resources in the Arctic.

It is thought that as global temperatures rise, it will be possible to access natural resources - like gas, oil and rare earth minerals - beneath the Arctic鈥檚 melting ice.

President Sauli Niinisto told the 大象传媒 Hardtalk programme鈥檚 Stephen Sackur that in the past he thought there could be 鈥渂oth benefits and dangers鈥� in the Arctic. Now he thought further exploitation of oil and gas 鈥渨hen we are trying to get rid of fossil [fuels]. That's not a benefit鈥�.

Finland is one of a small group of nations with direct access to the Arctic. There are fears that there could be competition leading to conflict as world powers like the US, Russia, China and Europe raced to reach new sources of natural resources and commodities.

President Niinisto said he had previously warned Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump that 鈥渋f we lose the Arctic, we lose the globe鈥�.

World leaders are meeting this week at the summit in Egypt to try and agree emissions reductions and make progress on the climate issue.

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