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Resource Extinction In The Arctic

1693 Words7 Pages

The Arctic, though it is also an ocean, is widely considered to be a geographical area that extends outwards from the North Pole to the Tree line (the imaginary line drawn on the map above which trees cannot grow due to the harsh climate). According to this definition, the Arctic includes both the Arctic Ocean as well as certain parts of the eight Arctic states. It covers an area of about 5.5 million square miles and is home to a plethora of animal species. Prior to the 20th Century, extreme weather conditions, harsh inaccessible environments and poor visibility had forced policymakers to relegate the Arctic to a region of near insignificance. However, with the rapid technological and industrial breakthroughs of the twentieth century, the geopolitical …show more content…

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While environmental activists are concerned about resource extraction projects in the Arctic, questioning the lack of definitive proof regarding the presence of recoverable oil and therefore its commercial viability, it should be kept in mind that such projects are not entirely new to the region. In fact, oil and natural gas discoveries in the Arctic were made as early as the 1920s while extraction started in the 1960s. Many international oil companies (IOCs) have successfully discovered oil and natural gas, built several rigs and have also extracted them safely, with a few stray incidents. While the Exxon Valdez tanker incident in Alaska is commonly cited by environmental activists as a reason to stop Arctic oil exploration, it should be noted that the incident occurred during oil transportation by a vessel and not during extraction. However, it is also true that the remoteness of the “ground-zero” of the spill and inadequate oil spill response mechanisms at the time contributed to the disaster. Technological advances, putting in place a proper oil response regime and supplying necessary infrastructure to support such projects can significantly reduce the risk factor involved. Therefore, to conclude, natural resource

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