The Arctic Ocean is particularly exposed to global warming. Besides the ecological consequences of this phenomenon, the melting ice, opening up new routes to previously very remote areas makes possible the development of human activities, which could threaten the fragile environment of the area. However, the current legal framework, normatively fragmented and institutionnaly unstructured, seems to be inadequate to respond to these threats. While initiatives already emerge, concerns arise from the speed of their setting up, which is time-consuming and might be not fast enough to cope with the challenges of the climate change.