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The Arctic states face a broadspectrum of specific regional securityissues centredaround two complementary aspects, defending humans from extremes of nature (climate) and protecting the natural environment against damage caused by human activities (pollu-tion). The first group of challenges encompasses extreme weather patterns, melting sea ice and permafrost, and rising sea levels. The second group includes various pollutants, including persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, plastics, a significant military and nuclear presence, industrial development, and shipping. In addition, hybrid threats, ille-gal activities, and the interests of non-Arctic states represent a new and emerging cate-gory of security challenges for the region. Most of these challenges are multiplying threats that do not respect borders or sectoral boundaries and require coordinated trans-national action. Given the limited capacity of individual states to address security threats promptly and the trans-national nature of certain issues, regional cooperation is a pre-requisite for achieving success. History shows us that during the Cold War, the most politically frozen time of all, the Arctic states, including the United States and the Soviet Union, were able to overcome their animosity and cooperate on environmental chal-lenges. One of the outcomes of this cooperation was the establishment of the Arctic Council in 1996. Is it realistic to expect a similar development today?The Russian invasion of Ukraine has largely ended cooperation between Moscow and other Arctic countries. Can shared security challenges enhance cooperation in the region and beyond? How important are environmental issues for the states? Can Arctic science diplomacy be a useful approach to the improvement of relations? These are some of the research ques-tions that this chapter addresses. The author also investigates mechanisms for coopera-tion in times of conflict and the role of international scientific cooperation in the Arctic. The chapter concludes with an exploration of possible future scenarios in the region.