Why we should look to the Arctic

Editor's note: Bob Reiss, a former reporter at the Chicago Tribune, is the author of 18 books, including the just published, "The Eskimo and the Oil Man." He can be seen this week on CNN as part of the "Erin Burnett OutFront" series on the Arctic at 7 pm ET. 

(CNN) -- Most Americans think of the Arctic as an icy, distant place; beautiful, remote and teeming with wildlife, but unrelated to their daily lives. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This summer, big doings on America's northern doorstep will have enormous consequences to the economic, strategic and environmental future of the nation. Yet we are unprepared for the challenges and opportunities.

What happens in the Arctic as ice melts there could soon cheapen the cost of the gas you buy and products you purchase from Asia. It could help make the nation more energy independent. It could draw our leaders into a conflict over undersea territory. It is already challenging Washington to protect millions of square miles filled with some of the most magnificent wildlife on Earth, and native people whose culture and way of life is at risk as a squall line of development sweeps across the once inaccessible top of the planet.

READ MORE:  http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/16/opinion/reiss-arctic-drilling/index.html?hpt=hp_c1