The Canadian Arctic

Drilling in Alaska will not help stop the oil crisis. Many colonial Americans weren’t concerned about protecting natural resources because they thought they had a lot but they also knew that they needed to preserve the oil. Should the United States drill for oil in Alaska’s wilderness? America shouldn’t drill in Alaska because of the environment wilderness, protecting environment, and economics.

As most Canadians may know, the land we know now as Canada was once the property of Britain and France- the countries that originally colonized Canada. After Canada was officially formed in 1867 and even prior to that event, there was much division among the Anglophone and Francophone populations, though a strong desire for freedom from the British Empire ran on both sides.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has been the center of a strident controversy and national debate that has raged for over 40 years. The question raising so much contention is whether the federal government should allow drilling for oil and natural gas with the levels of contention paralleling the rise and fall of gas prices. The National Democratic and Republican Parties have taken opposing positions in their national political platforms, with the debate emerging and re-emerging in Congress as a significant issue. The Republican are proponents of drilling whereas the Democrats are opposed. With Sen. Lisa Murkowski ascending to the top post of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee many observers believe that the Republicans will renew their push for drilling in the ANWR in the upcoming 114th Congress. This paper will explore the different arguments that are used to oppose drilling to protect the ANWR followed by arguments that are in support of drilling. As a result of a preliminary review of current literature outlining the pros and cons surrounding drilling, it is the thesis of this paper that drilling in the ANWR is unnecessary based on (1) the potential to cause irreversible damage to a very unique ecosystem that has not been adequately studied by scientists; and (2) the limited impact that drilling in the region will have on overall market prices and supplies due to the estimated small size of the ANWR’s oil and gas reserves. A brief history of the

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a large piece of land in Alaska. It

In a letter from the former United States President Jimmy Carter, he argues the importance of the Arctic National wildlife refuge, expressing the negative impacts that future industrialization of the Alaskan wilderness would have, not only on the environment and organisms living within it, but among the indigenous peoples whom the ecosystem provides.

“Since I have left office, there have been repeated proposals to open the Arctic Refuge coastal plain to oil drilling.” This direct quote makes me feel like we, as humans, could do some severe damage to the environment. How much damage could we do? Who would be the ones to clean up the irreversible damage we have done? Without the persistence of the indigenous people, this great refuge would not be what it is. “There are few places on earth as wild and free as the Arctic Refuge.” This statement has so much truth and should hit us on a personal level because it makes you wonder how many places are there left like this on the earth? How long can we preserve this place? We should be more careful and use our resources

Due to the receding Arctic ice there is now a partially open route through the Northwest Passage during certain parts of the year, which could pose a possible threat to Canada. According to the Canadian Ice Service and the US National Ice Center, the passage is almost clear and more than ever since the beginning of routine monitoring in 1972 (The Northwest Passage: In Dispute and Navigable). The opening of this passage has now sparked the interest of the US and Russia in wanting it to be officially deemed as international waters. The Northwest Passage is 7000km shorter than the Panama Canal from Europe to Asia (Byers). This would mean that international shipping companies would be able to save a great deal of time and money. There could also be the possibility to use super tankers to transport oil which is impossible to do through the Panama Canal (Byers). There are ship manufacturers that are currently designing and building vessels that would be able to withstand ice (Byers). The cruise ship industry is also interested in the use of the passage (Byers). There is a Russian

The First Nations people of Canada have a long list of treaty rights, as well as many undefined aboriginal rights, from their right to hunt and fish on their land to housing and annuities. However, it’s not all gift-giving and sunshine; while the government of Canada is supposed to respect their rights to hunt on their land and the right to hold title to their land, there are many disputes such as the Ron Sparrow case and the Oka Crisis that show that the Aboriginal peoples’ inherent rights are not always respected, with cases such as that of Don Marshall that show that the government might not exactly be on the First Nation’s side.

In his foreword, President Jimmy Carter proposes his thoughts on oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge. He contends that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for the oil industry. He believes in the preservation of wildlife and the natural beauty that it provides. His argument is solidly structured by a personal anecdote, historical evidence of actions taken towards preservation, and a refutation to advocates of the drilling activity.

Nunavut, which in Inuktitut means “Our Land”, was the first significant change to the map of Canada since Newfound land and Labrador joined confederation in 1949. The idea of separating the Northwest Territories to create a new territory dates back to the 1950’s. The non-aboriginals of the Northwest Territories in the Mackenzie

This paper supports Thomas Flanagan's argument against Native sovereignty in Canada; through an evaluation of the meanings of sovereignty it is clear that Native sovereignty can not coexist with Canadian sovereignty. Flanagan outlines two main interpretations of sovereignty. Through an analysis of these ideas it is clear that Native Sovereignty in Canada can not coexist with Canadian sovereignty.

Canada should pursue their interests in the Arctic to the fullest extent possible so as to satisfy their national interests, and retain the land that they already believe to be theirs. They are acting on their interests by exercising the power they have with acts such as building ports, and moving in military, their main goal to secure the land, as well as the ocean around it so as to ensure economic prosperity. Canada is asserting their control and ownership, trying to divert the other stakeholders involved in the imperialistic struggle for the Arctic. Though so far there has been no need for the situation to become physical, by moving military into the region, Canada has displayed their willingness to fight for the land. This has caused other states to realize that the land settlement may come to a physical altercation, and that there may be a need for military action in the future. One country that has already acted on the perceived threat is Russia, who has been trying to gain the land using physical force such as putting military in the island areas. Though so far they have only been trying to take resources from the land, they have recognized that

Is developing the Arctic for oil and natural gas worth the powerful negative impact on the environment and native communities? The article published on September 20th, 2013 by Jennifer Weeks titled, “Future of the Arctic” examines the Arctic and the controversies within it. In the pro/con section of her article, Weeks asks the question, “Should the United States suspend Arctic offshore drilling?” Senator Mark Begich argues that the resources in the Arctic are too great of an opportunity to miss out on. Although Arctic drilling is a controversial topic, many people believe it should continue because of the financial and ethical circumstances; however, evidence to support this is lacking, which leads to the other side of the debate to be in

Inuit communities are exempted from seal product restrictions and are allowed to hunt up to 400,000 seals ( a quota set by the government)

It contains an expanse of tundra with many marshes and lagoons with rivers situated between foothills of the Brooks Range and the wide, icy waters of the Beaufort Sea. Environmentalists said that this area “is the most biologically productive part of the Arctic Refuge for wildlife and is the center if wildlife activity.” The importance of these resources is not measurable. The Arctic is home to such animals as caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, musk oxen, whales, wolves and snow geese. This area is full of wildflowers and contains water of excellent, unpolluted quality and quantity. The Arctic Ocean costal plain is an area critical to the survival of many birds and mammals (‘Alaska Wild’).