The North Pole Heats Up; As global warming melts the Arctic pack ice, one of the world's most remote and potentially energy-rich regions is becoming more accessible. And the race to stake a claim to the icy wastes is picking up speed.(Cover Story)

Byline: William Underhill

Who would want Hans Island? It's a barren, windblown chunk of uninhabited rock measuring less than 1.5 square kilometers. And with the North Pole just a few hundred kilometers away, conditions--midwinter temperatures can sink to minus 40 degrees--are hostile to any living being except seals and polar bears. Yet Canada and Denmark are engaged in a vigorous cold war of words and gestures over who has claim to Hans Island. In recent years, both have dispatched expeditions to the Godforsaken place and planted their flags; both have sent warships to assert their claims. For the two countries, the island represents much more than a speck on ...