ADVANCED REVIEW Implications of climate change for shipping: Opening the Arctic seas Adolf K.Y. Ng 1,2 | Jonathan Andrews 1,3 | David Babb 3 | Yufeng Lin 1 | Austin Becker 1,4 1 Transport Institute, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 2 Department of Supply Chain Management, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 3 Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 4 Department of Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island Correspondence Adolf K.Y. Ng, Transport Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3T 2N2. Email: adolf.ng@umanitoba.ca Funding information Dr. D. Barber's Canada Research Chair (Tier 1); Transport Canada's Network of Expertise on Transportation in Arctic Waters (NEXTAW); Transport Institute of the University of Manitoba (UMTI); Genome Canada; CN Professorship in Supply Chain Management Edited by Timothy R. Carter, Domain Editor, and Mike Hulme, Editor-in-Chief This paper assesses the value and environmental feasibility of Arctic shipping by reviewing the relevant scientific and economic peer-reviewed literature. From the physical perspective, this paper examines the impact of climate change on sea ice and marine weather and considers the resultant consequences for Arctic shipping accessibility. From an economic perspective, it reviews the major research investi- gating the economic feasibility of diverting ships from conventional shipping routes to Arctic routes, the attitudes of shipping stakeholders, and other major fac- tors affecting the prospect of Arctic shipping. This review also identifies important research gaps. Ultimately, we find that the complex environmental and economic dynamics of the Arctic suggest that an appropriate understanding of Arctic ship- ping will require close collaboration between natural and social scientists. This article is categorized under: Assessing Impacts of Climate Change > Evaluating Future Impacts of Climate Change KEYWORDS Arctic, climate change, feasibility, shipping 1 | ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND A POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY Climate change presents many impacts for human activities, including shipping. With more than 80% of globally traded cargo carried by ships (Ng & Liu, 2014), shipping and the maritime industry play an important role in the well-being of global and regional economies. A considerable volume of research investigates the negative impacts posed by climate change on transportation infrastructures. For example, the book by Ng et al. (2016) contains numerous cases on how climate change affects the operation of ports located in four continents, and how port stakeholders attempt to adapt to such challenges. Climate change impacts will likely have both positive and negative elements. In fact, some societies may benefit from the development and implementation of effective adaptation strategies and solutions (Ng et al., 2016). The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change supports this view and defines adaptation to climate change as follows: …Adjustments in ecological, social, or economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and their effects or impacts...Changes in processes, practices, and structures to moderate potential damages or to benefit from opportunities associated with climate change. (UNFCCC, 2014) This is a companion paper to Becker A, Ng AKY, McEvoy D, Mullett J. Implications of climate change for shipping: Ports and supply chains. WIREs Clim Change. 2018;e508. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.508 Received: 30 December 2016 Revised: 9 November 2017 Accepted: 10 November 2017 DOI: 10.1002/wcc.507 WIREs Clim Change. 2018;e507. wires.wiley.com/climatechange © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1 of 18 https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.507