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Over 50 percent of the ice in the Arctic has been lost in the last decade, and as the ice pack melts, new battle lines are being drawn between Russia, China and the US in the area as they seek to assert their strategic superiority and exploit the area's valuable natural resources.

Malte Humbert, Senior Fellow and Founder of the Arctic Institute, and Dr Kim Holm茅n of the Norwegian Polar Institute describe the changes that the thinning of the ice are bringing now that the area is a "navigable ocean".

"It's the first area where the geopolitics are being altered because of climate change. Because the ice is melting so rapidly suddenly it's becoming a navigable ocean. You have a resurgent Russia, you have China who is coming up as the great superpower of the 21st century and the US, who has the understanding of being the world hegemon."

Photo: Northwestern Glacier calving into the sea Credit: Getty Images