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The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy navigates through the Arctic Ocean near Barrow, Alaska.
Competition Heats up for Arctic Resources
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Five countries are meeting in Greenland to discuss territorial claims to the Arctic Ocean, which could yield undiscovered oil and gas reserves under its seabed.
30-Second Summary
Denmark, Russia, the United States, Canada and Norway are attending a conference in Ilulissat, Greenland, 250 km north of the Arctic Circle.
At the end of the meeting, the countries involved are expected to sign a declaration reaffirming international treaties that currently govern the region, reported Canadian oil and gas publication Oilweek.
“Those that say there is a legal vacuum in the Arctic are wrong because the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention prevails in the Arctic as it does in other oceans,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere in Reuters.
Denmark called the meeting to avoid fighting over ownership of the region. The Arctic could contain 25 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Global warming makes the ownership issue still more pressing. Foreign Affairs magazine warned in March that the melting of the polar ice caps could have dramatic global security implications, as nations scramble to take advantage of new trade routes and resources available in the area.
At the end of the meeting, the countries involved are expected to sign a declaration reaffirming international treaties that currently govern the region, reported Canadian oil and gas publication Oilweek.
“Those that say there is a legal vacuum in the Arctic are wrong because the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention prevails in the Arctic as it does in other oceans,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere in Reuters.
Denmark called the meeting to avoid fighting over ownership of the region. The Arctic could contain 25 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Global warming makes the ownership issue still more pressing. Foreign Affairs magazine warned in March that the melting of the polar ice caps could have dramatic global security implications, as nations scramble to take advantage of new trade routes and resources available in the area.
Headline Links: ‘Arctic states meet in Greenland to discuss territorial claims, resources’
The Arctic region is currently ruled by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. All of the countries in the area have ratified the treaty, except for the United States. A UN panel will make a decision about Arctic control by 2020.
Source: Oilweek
Denmark and Norway expressed their hope that the nations meeting in Greenland would adhere to UN rules on the territory. Environmentalists are pushing for a ban on military activity and mineral mining in the region.
Source: Reuters
Background: Climate change raises global security issues
Foreign Affairs magazine warned in March that the melting of the polar ice caps could have dramatic global security implications, as nations scramble to take advantage of new trade routes and resources available in the area. The opening of the Northwest Passage could lead to international disputes over shipping routes.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: The CIA World Factbook
The body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America is the smallest of the world’s five oceans. The Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route are two important waterways in the region. Its surface is covered by a drifting polar icepack that is about 3 meters thick.
Source: Central Intelligence Agency
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