OP Spotlight : The Race

"When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves."

David Orr, Environmental Educator

Global Warming : The Race to Claim the North Pole

As the evidence of Global Warming mounts, there has been an evolving international consensus on the importance of both increasing our scientific understanding of global change and linking scientific findings to policy decisions.

But not every one sees the loss of Arctic ice from the endangered region as a bad thing. At stake is the promise of untold mineral riches that has prompted an increasing number of governments to throw millions at scientific and military missions in a bid to get ahead.

Since the Arctic sea ice is declining at such a rapid rate, the opening of sea channels such as the Northwest Passage of Canada and its access by oil exploration ships and tankers is viewed by the Bush-Cheney administration and their oil industry backers as an economic windfall.

British Petroleum and a Russian partner are using newly-opened shipping channels in the Russian Arctic to begin the off-shore drilling of natural gas. Timber companies are excited about access to Arctic timber reserves from accessible Arctic seaports. The race to claim the North Pole has pitted Denmark against its NATO ally Canada, with Russia and the United States lurking in the wings. And diamond finds in Canada 's Nunavut have fired a mining rush and propelled this country into the ranks of a top-three producer.

Ottawa too is counting on tapping what the government suspects are major natural gas reserves in the Beaufort Sea. Diplomatic swords were already crossed with the US in this frigid zone bordering the Yukon and Alaska , when the US tried unsuccessfully to auction the area to oil companies last year.

In a show of force, last year August, Canada spent almost five million dollars sending hundreds of troops, helicopters, a frigate and an ice-breaker on a training exercise in search of mock satellite debris. Bad weather grounded planes, two soldiers were lost for a night and a fire on an ageing Sea King helicopter exposed the limits of the present force.

This year, the Canadian Government has approved the launching of the Radarsat II to provide high-resolution surveillance across the Arctic and monitor ships on the surface.

 

 

 

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