U.S. takes reigns of Arctic Council amid geopolitical tension, rapid warming

The United States formally took the reins of the governing body for the Arctic region on Friday at a meeting above the Arctic Circle, in Iqaluit, Canada.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who is attending the Arctic Council ministerial meeting, says the U.S. will use the two-year chairmanship of the Council to focus on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases such as black carbon and methane, which are enhancing the melting of land and sea ice in the Far North, and addressing the consequences of global warming on the lands, wildlife and inhabitants of the vast region.