What are some of the broader implications of the predicted dramatic warming in the Arctic? Think of shipping, ecosystems, permafrost, the fate of Greenland, and sea level.

The good thing about an ice-free Artic would be faster shipping from continent to continent, as well as mineral exploration. There could also become a large boost in productivity in the economy pertaining to better fishing opportunities, etc. The bad part is the albedo of the Arctic Ocean would decrease and this would cause warming in the ecosystem, sea level would basically the same though. This are just things that scientists predicted would happen as well as predicting it would happen in 1979 all the way up to 2015 and now to 2020, 2030, 2050 and so on and so forth.

http://www.climatechangedispatch.com/predictions-of-an-ice-free-arctic-ocean.html