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Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge, the first person to reach the North Pole unassisted by animals or vehicles and also the first to reach the North and South Poles and Mount Everest's summit on foot, discussed the accelerating geopolitical competition and climate change affecting the Arctic in an interview published October 20, 2026. Kagge's comments, timed to the French release of his book "The North Pole: The History of an Obsession," come as the Arctic opens to new maritime routes and becomes the focus of intensifying strategic rivalry between major powers including Russia and the United States.