Big corporations have not been slow to recognise the potential business opportunities in the warmer Arctic.

As the ice reduces, it becomes a whole lot easier to mine, extract and deforest commercially -- and local indigenous groups are getting a bit worried. One particularly scary scenario involves a fight over the potentially massive Arctic oil reserves, said to be larger than that of Saudi Arabia. Last year, the Russians laid a claim to the reserves by planting their flag 2.5 miles 'under' the North Pole. Their claim is disputed by the Norwegians, North Americans and every other man and his dog that wants a slice of the action. As the prospect of a viable Northwest Passage across the North Pole becomes more likely, the potential for conflict increases.

Meanwhile, back in the Old Oil conflict zone of the Middle East, global warming is contributing to an ever greater threat to regional stability. Drinking water is drying up. Whilst in Iraq, the war has left 68% of the population without clean water, in Israel a poor rainy season has led experts to question whether there will be enough for everyone's needs in the Summer. In Jordan last year, hundreds were affected by serious water contamination caused by the acute shortage, said to be caused by Syria's overuse of the Yarmouk river.

According the the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation the situation is only going to get worse.

The Middle East and North Africa are particularly exposed to water shortages. An additional 155 to 600 million people may suffer an increase in water stress in North Africa with a 3° Celsius temperature rise.

... Once temperature increases reach 3 or 4°C, the impacts will be strongest across Western Asia and the Middle East, where yields of the predominant regional crops may fall by 23 to 35 percent with weak carbon fertilization, or 15 to 20 percent with strong carbon fertilization. -- FAO Climate Change: implications for Agriculture in the Near East

Surely the damage that has been caused by warring over extraction rights in the Gulf alone will be enough to hold us back from doing the same thing in the arctic. Please...?