The dash for gas explained
Updated on 29 August 2007
It's being compared to the great gold rushes of the nineteenth century - the Arctic is suddenly attracting a lot of interest from the nations around it.
The reason? Potentially massive reserves of oil, gas and minerals that may become more accessible thanks to global warming.
Jon Snow is in the town of Longyearbyan, on the Norweigan island of Spitzbergen that lies inside the Arctic Circle, and starting on Thursday Aug 30 he'll be presenting our series on special reports on why this deeply inhospitable part of the world is now part of a new "Cold Rush".
Cold Rush slideshow
Watch our photo report with Jon Snow explaining the key issues in Arctic here:
Watch the report
