I think the benefit to northern communities arises from whether there are ports available so that ships can come and go. Otherwise, ships just drive right by. Obviously, the effect on the northern communities would be a function of discharge and all kinds of other things. Of course, pollution from ships is more than just exhaust. There are also the things they bring along with them on the bottom—barnacles and whatnot. But there are also rules under MARPOL and SOLAS. There are a bunch of international conventions that regulate the quality of ship and what it's allowed to emit. The issue is how strict we can make those and whether the countries flagging the ships will follow those rules.
On December 11th, 2012. See this statement in context.