Adam Kočí - The Battle for Arctic Treasure: Why Global Powers Are Fighting Over the Arctic and Greenland?

The Arctic is becoming a place where climate change collides with the interests of superpowers. Melting ice reveals the region's growing geopolitical importance, mineral resources, and new shipping routes - while raising questions about environmental protection and the rights of indigenous peoples.

Greenland exemplifies the entire situation. It lies on the shortest route between North America and Europe, is crucial for monitoring submarine movements in the Arctic Ocean and Atlantic, and hosts the US Pituffik Space Base for early warning of ballistic missiles and space surveillance. Frozen soil contains mineral resources that China is also interested in. Local inhabitants, meanwhile, struggle with desires for independence and consider what Danish membership brings them.

The lecture will present what wealth these territories actually hold and place the region in the context of the current geopolitical situation. Speaker Adam Kočí draws on his own knowledge from Greenland, Finnish and Norwegian Lapland, and Iceland.

Adam Kočí is a political geographer focused on the Arctic and its development during advancing climate change. He completed his doctoral research in Greenland and currently works at the Department of Social Geography and Regional Development at the Faculty of Science of the University of Ostrava.