European Union To Seek Ban On Arctic Fossil Fuel Exploitation

Major players including Russia, Canada and the United States are vying for control of the Arctic region.

The European Union said Wednesday it would seek an international agreement to ban the exploitation of gas, coal and oil in the Arctic, weeks before a major UN climate conference.

The Arctic is thought to be hugely rich in resources, with major players including Russia, Canada and the United States vying for control.

But climate warming driven by humanity's exploitation of fossil fuels is already severely affecting the region, with higher temperatures melting vast areas of ice in recent decades.

Dozens of world leaders are due to meet next month for the COP26 climate summit in the UK, where they face huge pressure to agree meaningful action.