The Northern Sea Route saw a record number of ships transit in 2020, with 62 full transits compared to 37 in 2019, according to analysis by the Center for High North Logistics at Norway's Nord University Business School. The Arctic has warmed at least twice as quickly as the rest of the world over the last three decades, enabling more shipping activity. The trade is driven by commodities producers, mainly in Russia, China and Canada, sending iron ore, oil, liquefied natural gas and other fuels through Arctic waters. However, environmentalists have criticised the lack of regulation to minimise the impact of increased shipping on the region's fragile ecosystem.