The vicissitudes of global climate impact the rise and fall of civilisations and “Civilisation exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice" (Will Durant). The land bridge constituting Beringia helped populate the Americas - the lower sea levels about twenty five thousand years ago, helped migration from Siberia to Alaska. Now rising sea levels due to total melting of the Arctic ice cap will profit their descendants.

The stake was planted in the summer of 2007 by the Russians - in a bid to claim the geological continuity of 'their' continental shelf below the north pole. The Americans too have probably used all their ocean survey boats to scan the now open Arctic ocean. The news about Canadian aerial mapping sorties venturing into areas claimed by Russia is rather disturbing. War fought over the Arctic pie, uses artillery like Deep Tow, Sea Beam, Hydrosweep etc., and the data will be used to slug it out when the UN will scientifically divide the booty. Pray that disagreements do not bring out the real arsenal, after all 25% of our planet's undiscovered oil and gas reserves are supposed to be under the arctic.

While exploiting the 'opportunities' resulting from global climate change, will someone count the island nations slowly but surely joining the ranks of Atlantis?