Ilulissat Declaration

Arctic Monitoring, Assessment Programme, ACIA - Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, Program for the Conservation of Arctic Flora, Fauna & International Arctic Science Committee (2005). Arctic Climate Impact Assessment - Scientific Report. Cambridge University Press

So legally we do own parts of the Arctic but what about after 12 miles? Well there is another set of laws in the UNCLOS act. There is a 200 nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone around

The inuit have to understand the natural patterns of Arctic wildlife because of global warming. Global warming is causing problems because the number

Humans have been interacting with the Arctic tundra for centuries now. They have used the land to explore and race, for example, the infamous race between Admunsen and Scott to the South pole. However, the human civilisation on the Arctic tundra have had their implications, both severe and light. Humans have slaughtered whales and seals since very early days, for food as well as commercial and self-profiting purposes. The most recent and paramount problem is global warming and pollution, which is harming the Arctic Tundra far more than the sealing and whaling ever did.

The snowshoe hare needs protection due to its sheer importance in the ecosystem’s food web. Humans, by oil drilling, will negatively impact not only the snowshoe hare, but one of the world’s greatest arctic wildlife reserves. Protecting the snowshoe hare will also increase biodiversity in the ecosystem. Humanity should be careful about fossil fuel exploration and not squander its precious wildlife refuges. By doing this, it can ensure that ANWR- and its unique snowshoe hare- lives on for future

Stunted Again” written by Michael Pearson, the Earth is in trouble due to the decrease in Arctic

As important as it is, Arctic coastal sea ice plays a vital role in dynamics of the coastline, covers stretches of open water which serve as important biological habitats, and serves as a platform for a broad range of activities by residents and industries (Druckenmiller et al., 2009). Sea ice is also important because it is used as a platform for harvesting seals and whales in spring, transport of personnel and supplies to camps, and as a network of trails (Druckenmiller et al., 2009). Dangerous effects of climate change include “ice breakouts” which are when large chunks of ice that whalers are using as working areas break off of the main ice blocks and take whaling camps out to sea (Druckenmiller et al.,

In Henry Fountain’s “Alaska’s Permafrost is Thawing”, Fountain discusses how Alaska’s permafrost is slowly thawing away. Alaska is known for its vast, snowy landscape, but that soon could be all gone. This article is directed towards people who are interested in the warming of Alaska. As the Arctic is warming at an alarming rate, wildlife is slowing disappearing and sea levels are rising.

Before even drilling into the Arctic, just granting approval to a company like Shell increased their stocks by three percent (Investmentu.com “The Pros and Cons of Arctic Oil Drilling”). This bounce in the company’s stock could be due to factors such as an increase in oil or gas demand, not just directly linked to being approved to drill in this area. In fact, not just production from the United States would benefit from the Arctic, but production factories all over the world would indulge in this supply just as much. As the United States is estimated to max out their production nine million six hundred thousand barrels per day (MMb/d) in 2019, this number would clearly grow higher from Arctic drilling. Since their supply would go up for a number of years, more and more consumers would go up over time resulting in the United States supply of oil to drastically decrease as there is no such thing as an unlimited source of fossil fuel (Hotair.com “Are we sitting on unlimited fossil-fuel resources?”). Together with increased production, environmental problems would be off the charts such as greenhouse gas (GHG) levels and soot. Also, job openings would then further open up for more and more workers to find jobs. This would then be a choice instead of working at part-time jobs with decent pay to go to companies that offer full-time, maybe even months at a time staying overseas working with much better

Canada is one of the Arctic States that according to the international law have presence economic activity on the Arctic shelf, while the status of the Canadian sector in the Arctic is the second largest which is 25% after Russian Federation sector which 40%. Arctic coastal states has same interests in the arctic zone due to the rich of covered and undiscovered natural resources. Canada also has the interest in the Arctic to exploit Arctic’s vast natural resources which is the oil and gas. As noted that the coastal area of the Canadian Arctic has huge reserves of methane hydrate, and according to the Heinenen (2014), if commercial production launched in the future, these reserves would last for several hundred years. Yet the current situations in the Canadian Arctic is the Canada does not conduct drilling on its Arctic shelf and also the safe technologies have not yet been developed.

The polar ice caps are melting at a pace few nations can afford to ignore, which is yielding potentially profitable sources of energy, minerals, and shipping. But debate is building over whether the Arctic can be developed peaceably. In the 21st century, many experts believe that climate change, technological advances, and ever increasing global demand for resources unlock the economic potential of the Polar North. The melting of Arctic sea ice to record lows in recent years has motivated many nations, mainly those with Arctic Ocean coastlines, such as the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, and Greenland to reassess their engagements and interests in the icy polar reaches. Canada’s

There has been much controversy when it comes to oil companies in the Arctic over the past few years. The oil industry has invested heavily in the development of Alaska’s Arctic natural resources and Shell has invested $3 billion to purchase leases and prepare for exploratory drilling in the Beaufort and Chuckchi seas (WWF, 2010). Between 2008 and 2010 Imperial Oil Ltd., British Petroleum, Chevron and Exxon Mobil purchased offshore exploration leases in the Canadian Beaufort Sea and the Canadian government continues to sell offshore exploration licenses for Arctic energy exploration (Noble et al., 2012).

In some cases using what the arctic has to offer is good and could help the development of humans but on the other hand what about the environment. In this I will state the advantages and disadvantages of exploitation in the Arctic and how it could affect the world.

This new passage is called the Northern Sea Route (NSR), and could play a major role in trade between the East and West. Shipping through the Arctic could potentially reduce shipping times by forty percent (and consequentially fuel consumption and carbon emissions). It is important to note that as of now, the route only has potential as a seasonal alternative to other more traveled shipping routes. According to the Danish shipping company Nordic Bulk Carriers, shipping from Russia to China along the NSR versus the Suez Canal saves $650,000 of fuel and takes just twenty- three days to complete. As of 2013 the oceanic traffic in the NSR has increased by 53%. The NSR is under intense international scrutiny as Russia and the United States squabble over its status as an international passage that is not under Russian control. Despite it’s dubious legality, the Northern Sea Route has piqued the interest of Korea, China, and Japan all economies that rely heavily on exported goods. As of now, Russia currently has a strangle hold on the passage and is working rapidly to expand its control of the surrounding waters. The nation has pushed very hard to reopen Soviet era bases along the arctic and as of 2013 the military presence in the Arctic has increased by 30 percent. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia has announced plans to have 14 operational air bases in the Arctic. He has called the NSR, “an international transport artery capable of being a competitor to more traditional routes, both when it comes to price, safety and quality.” Russia has recognized the economic and geopolitical power that they could control if they kept their claims in the Arctic

The Arctic is global warming’s canary in the coal mine. It is a highly sensitive area which is profoundly affected by the changing climate. The average temperature in the Arctic is rising twice as fast as elsewhere in the world (nrdc.org). Because of this, the ice cap is getting thinner, melting away, and rupturing. Here is an example of this; the largest ice block in the Arctic, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, had been around for 3000 years before it started cracking in 2000 (nrdc.org) By 2002, the Ward Hunt has cracked completely through and had started breaking into smaller pieces. The melting ice caps are affecting the earth and its inhabitants in many ways. In this paper, the following concepts and subjects will be