Controversy over Arctic conference

Controversy over Arctic conference

english.aljazeera.net

There are currently competing claims for territory in the Arctic region which is thought to contain undiscovered oil and gas reserves.

Russia is claiming a vast area across the central Arctic and the US is proposing extending its state of Alaska far to the north, both with claims lodged at the UN.

Canada, Denmark and Norway have also put forward proposals to extend their existing Arctic territory.

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Related News Links:
www.foreignaffairs.com
www.greenpeace.org

"Byers said that shipping will become a key issue in the region and is potentially controversial.

"As the Arctic Ocean ice melts we are going to see 12-month per year shipping routes between Shanghai and Hamburg, or Shanghai and New Jersey," he said.

"The question is who will regulate those shipping routes, who will provide search and rescue, who will ensure that piracy will not become a problem in the Arctic?

"These issues over shipping and jurisdiction are much more controversial because the law on sea convention are not so clear on them."

Climate change in the Arctic is melting ice in the region, opening up waterways and providing access to huge mineral and petroleum wealth."

Well it appears now that we have major melting in the Arctic everyone is speaking out about the potential opportunities there. I think we all knew that this was going to happen sooner than later considering the the alarming meltdown rate. We are still being told the reason for the meltdown is global warming...so no real disclosure there. Scott G. Borgerson, International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Coast Guard, had this to say back in 2008 about the meltdown.

"The Arctic Ocean is melting, and it is melting fast. This past summer, the area covered by sea ice shrank by more than one million square miles, reducing the Arctic icecap to only half the size it was 50 years ago. For the first time, the Northwest Passage -- a fabled sea route to Asia that European explorers sought in vain for centuries -- opened for shipping. Even if the international community manages to slow the pace of climate change immediately and dramatically, a certain amount of warming is irreversible. It is no longer a matter of if, but when, the Arctic Ocean will open to regular marine transportation and exploration of its lucrative natural-resource deposits."

Um yeah so we have seen a meltdown of 50% of the Arctic icecap in only the past 50 years...Looks like we may be looking at a completely new region with upcoming endless possibilities. So...when will we start seeing some development in the Arctic for other things besides oil and resources? I would think that people are going to capitalize on this big time, hence the fight over land right now, and the arguments over control.



english.aljazeera.net
(visit the link for the full news article)


[edit on 30-3-2010 by Smell The Roses]