Could Airships Solve the Arctic’s Transportation problems?

By Jax Jacobsen ~ www.arcticfocus.org

Photo courtesy of: Canadian Arctic Innovation Association

Nearly all of the Arctic region’s development challenges can be tied to one issue: the striking lack of transportation options.

Canada’s Arctic north, spread over the territories of Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon, are all substantially less wealthy than the southern provinces. One of the biggest reasons for this wealth disparity lies in the difficulty in transporting goods to a region which is sparsely populated and has few highways and rail links.

The impact of these transport deficiencies is apparent in the costs of trade between northern territories and southern provinces. Trade costs are 45 per cent higher over similar distances, largely due to poor transport infrastructure. Shipping distances average over 2,100 kilometers, compared to the average 1,400 kilometers for trade within provinces, according to a 2018 University of Calgary study.

This results in a shortage in construction building materials, urgently needed in territories where thousands live in inadequate housing. In a 2023 Government of Canada study on housing in the northern territories, 9.9% of residents of Yukon, 11.4% in the NWT, and 40.5% in Nunavut are classified as “in core housing need,” which often means overcrowding.

The majority of the Arctic territories’ transportation infrastructure are winter roads or “ice roads,” only accessible in the winter months. The months when these vital roads are serviceable are growing shorter, due to climate change which is making the roads less secure and able to support heavy cargo trucks. Other areas of the Arctic territories are served by ship, though these are only accessible during the short summer period when ice is no longer a barrier.

Could airships solve the issue?

Read original full article by Jax Jacobsen:
https://www.arcticfocus.org/stories/could-airships-solve-the-arctics-transportation-problems/