More ships and a wider variety of ships, including older vessels not built for ice, are transiting the Arctic as Russia looks to increase use of the Northern Sea Route.

But while this may be an opportunity for shipping, it also has significant environmental risks.

The Green Seas podcast explores them individually with Clean Arctic Alliance lead advisor Sian Prior and Margaret Williams, a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Listen in the player below or on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pandora, Spotify or SoundCloud.