Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic
From Commonwealth Club of California Podcast by Commonwealth Club of California
June 9, 2026 · 1h 6m
About this episode
Mia Bennett discusses the impact of climate change and geopolitical competition in the Arctic region.
Nowhere is the dual threat of climate change and geopolitical competition felt more strongly than in the Arctic. Sea ice is declining rapidly, wildfires are burning, and permafrost is thawing. At the same time, global interest is growing rapidly as the region transforms from being a frozen desert into an international waterway. Mia Bennett, a geography professor at the University of Washington and the co-author, with Klaus Dodds, of the new book Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic, will join us to examine the state of the Arctic today. She’ll explore how the region is becoming a space of experimentation for everything from Indigenous governance to subsea technologies. Growing geopolitical competition is accompanying environmental disruption. Countries—including Russia, China, and the United States—are investing in the Arctic and consolidating their interests in strategic access, resource exploitation, and alliance-building. The consequences of this emerging “Arctic Anthropocene” are truly global—from rising sea levels due to melting glaciers to tensions between great powers determined to protect their territories and resources, and the well-being of Indigenous…
People in this episode
Guest: Mia Bennett
Topics covered
- climate change
- geopolitical competition
- Arctic
- Indigenous governance
- resource exploitation
- environmental disruption
Keywords
- Arctic
- climate change
- geopolitics
- Indigenous rights
- resource management
- sea ice
- permafrost
- wildfires
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Washington, Wonderfest
Places: Russia, China, United States
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