China and India's increasing demand for energy will motivate them to pursue Arctic oil resources

The need for energy is a global issue. As energy demands increase in the developing world—particularly in the People’s Republic of China and India—the demand and search for the world’s limited oil and gas supply intensifies; and more countries become interested in the Arctic’s resources.47 Despite their distance from the Arctic, China and India are poised to become key players in the Arctic oil and gas regime, and not merely as consumers.48 China, India, and other nations have already approached Norway in an effort to explore options in the Barents Sea to both secure their own energy needs and financially exploit the Arctic’s resources.⁴⁹