Neighboring states and world powers are fighting for influence. At the center of their interest: access to mineral resources and new transport opportunities since the melting ice opens up new, shorter shipping routes. Is a new conflict looming at the North Pole?
And how do people in the far north cope with the change in their environment? ZDF reporter Johannes Hano and his team are traveling through the north of the USA, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. They experience the magic of nature, meet people who have learned for centuries to survive in a hostile environment. But now they observe how struggle for power and influence is bringing the Arctic out of its slumber. In Alaska, Johannes Hano meets fishermen who were driven off by Russian fighter planes and marine from American fishing grounds near the Bering Strait. The fishermen are demanding a greater military presence in the region from their own government to protect their interests.
In two episodes, ZDF reports on a world region that is changing dramatically and how climate change is influencing lives of people who live in the Arctic. What it means to be at the mercy of the forces of nature in this inhospitable region, the team experiences first-hand and takes the audience on an adventurous journey.
