
BRUSSELS -- Foreign ministers from the eight Arctic Council nations adopted the forum's first strategic plan to combat climate change and promote sustainable economic development in the sensitive region during their meeting Thursday in Iceland's capital, Reykjavik.
The members, which include the U.S., Russia and Canada, outlined policy objectives through 2030 and agreed in the plan that "norms and standards that affect Arctic waters" need to be developed, as maritime activity increases with the melting of the ice.