Double
damage: Environmental and geopolitical implications from melting ice
“As
members from Arctic countries meet for talks in Canada, there are
growing concerns that the global push for fossil fuels could turn the
Arctic into the next 'resource battleground' as governments try and
cash in on any potential energy deposits in the region.”
“As
global resources become increasingly scarce, there is a growing
thought that countries with land claims and access to the Arctic will
further increase exploration in the hope of finding new, untapped
resources. As a result, many of the countries have experienced an
increase in espionage activities in their Arctic regions.”
“So
far, the threat of conflict over the Arctic has been fairly limited,
with most accessible resources falling within undisputed national
boundaries. However, security analysts suggest the risk of conflict
lies further ahead, because as more ice melts in the Arctic, it may
uncover significant energy resources in disputed zones, as Russia,
the US, Canada, Norway and Denmark are thought to have overlapping
claims.”
“It's
thought that the Arctic holds 13 percent of the world's undiscovered
oil and 30 percent of untapped gas. The recent jostling for
intelligence and information over North Pole resources from about
2007 onwards has led to growing "concerns about political and
military tensions in the region," according to International
Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) researchers Christian Le Miere
and Jeffrey Mazo.”
“The
increasing environmental concerns over the level of ice in the
Arctic, combined with the ongoing tensions between the West and
Russia is another factor that analysts say may make this year's
council meeting more heated than usual. A group of climate change
researchers warned of the catastrophic impacts of continued
pollution, with the 'Earth League' warning that there is a one in ten
chance that the world's temperature could rise 6 degrees by 2100,
which would have devastating impacts on civilization.”
Comments
Post a Comment