The Danish government is preparing to claim the North Pole for the Kingdom of Denmark, along with other areas of the Arctic, according to multiple stories filed online Tuesday.
According to Voice of America News, a leaked draft government document reveals that Denmark was expected "to lay claim to the continental shelf in five areas around the Faroe Islands and Greenland, including the North Pole itself."
The document could potentially put Scandinavia on a "collision course" with other Arctic nation-states, including Canada, Norway, Russia and the United States. After the document was leaked, foreign ministers for the government responded, confirming the report's authenticity and acknowledging that a final report, expected next month, would assert Danish sovereignty "on an area which includes the seabed of the North Pole," CBC News reported.
Denmark would then present its claims to the United Nations.
Much of the region outlined in the report is believed to be rich in oil and gas resources. "Exploiting such resources becomes easier as climate change shrinks Arctic sea ice coverage, which has reached record lows in the past decade," said the Associated Press-CBC News report.
Climate change is opening up new shipping routes, including the fabled Northwest Passage, along with fertile fishing grounds and other natural resource development.