The Battle For The Arctic by Fault Lines
Geschreven op 5-12-2015 - Erik van Erne. Geplaatst in Klimaat
Fault Lines looks at the potential environmental impact of resource extraction in the Arctic, and what that might mean for the people who live there.
The UN has imposed a 2013 deadline for the submission of scientific claims to the Arctic seabed. It is the precursor to a resource boom which would see Canada, the US, Russia, Norway and Greenland all attempt to exploit the region’s resources.
These Arctic countries are desperately mapping out their territories so they can tap into the fossil fuels and minerals locked beneath the fast melting ice. And with global warming speeding up the melting of the Polar ice caps, potential shipping routes are opening up – raising concerns about oil spills, and control over these new passageways.
The Arctic holds thirteen percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and thirty percent of its untapped natural gas, which is trillions of dollars of potential profit. And that means, here in the far north, issues of sovereignty, security, environment, and trade are intersecting at colossal pace.
This documentary looks at the potential environmental impact of resource extraction in the Arctic, and what that might mean for the people who live there. And with global warming speeding up the melting of the Polar ice caps, potential shipping routes are opening up – raising concerns about oil spills, and control over these new passageways.
Fault Lines’ Josh Rushing heads to the Far North to see first-hand how Arctic countries are responding to the potential bonanza.
See also: Global Warning: Arctic Melt by CNN – The Battle for the Arctic by Fault Lines – TED Talk: Time-lapse Proof Of Extreme Ice Loss by James Balog – Save The Arctic from Shell and Gazprom – Stop Deepwater Drilling for Oil in The Arctic: It’s Time to Go Beyond Oil – Shell Stopt met Olieboringen in de Arctic: Winst voor het Milieu – Save The Arctic: Vicious Circle Narrated by John Hurt – Arctic Death Spiral and the Methane Time Bomb – Chasing Ice by James Balog: The Story of the Earth’s Changing Climate – The Fight For The Arctic by DW Documentary – Extreme Ice Documentary by NOVA Online: In Extremis
Erik van Erne zegt:
18 december 2019 om 13:49 | Permalink
Melting Ice: The Future Of The Arctic by DW Documentary
Climate change in the Arctic is fueling not only fear, but also hope. Sea levels will rise and flood many regions. But the melting ice will also expose new land with reserves of oil, gas and minerals. New sea routes are also emerging.
The melting of the ice in the far north has given reason for great optimism, as newly-found mineral resources promise the Inuit a better life. But international corporations and self-proclaimed ‘partners’ such as China also have their eye on the treasures of the Arctic. Some even dream of a polar Silk Road. As large corporations position themselves to exploit the treasures of the far north, the indigenous people, the Inuit, are fighting for their independence.
Our film team spent four weeks with a geological expedition to the north coast of Canada – a place where no human has ever set foot before – and were present at the geologists world’s northernmost spring. A microbiologist with them also collected DNA samples that could help in the development of new vaccines against resistant germs. However, the most important resource in the far north is still fish: Greenland supplies half the world with it, yet it still doesn’t bring in enough to finance necessary investments in its underdeveloped infrastructure. And in Canada, the Inuit are also struggling with their government for the right to share in the wealth of their own land.