by Daniel McGroarty
TES GeoPolicy Editor
Tired of reading? Here’s a short video clip of Vladimir Putin, not much longer than a pop song, with a strong riff on Russia’s plans for developing the Arctic’s resources – despite the threat of U.S. economic sanctions. Putin’s definitely a Classic Rock kind of guy, telling his respectful Russian audience that the hydro-carbon energy era will still be with us, in spite of the growing global focus on renewables.
Meanwhile, over at Russia Today, in a second Putin story from the very same Arctic Conference, a more emotive Russian President “pit[ies] the poor polar bears” suffering from adverse Arctic environmental impacts, and “calls on Arctic developers to respect climate and wildlife.” No word on how the Russian leader plans to square these two statements – but there is a cute video of Putin hugging a (tranquilized) 500-pound polar bear in the Arctic Circle.
