WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine says the melting polar ice cap represents an opportunity for U.S. security, economic and diplomatic interests.

King said the nation needs to work cooperatively to demonstrate how the new ocean resource can be “peacefully and thoughtfully developed” while avoiding conflicts attached to similar natural resources in the past.

Additional Photos

This image made available by NASA shows the amount of summer sea ice in the Arctic on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, at center in white, and the 1979 to 2000 average extent for the day shown, with the yellow line. Scientists say sea ice in the Arctic shrank to an all-time low of 1.32 million square miles on Sept. 16, 2012, smashing old records for the critical climate indicator. AP / U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center

King also announced support for U.S. accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which would allow the U.S. greater sovereignty claims in the Arctic.

King delivered his remarks recently at the 2014 Henry Bacon Breakfast Seminar in Washington, D.C., where he spoke about the impact of global climate change on the Arctic environment.