Call it a double-whammy. Not only is the Arctic facing the threat of serious pollution from oil and gas drilling but the burning of that oil and gas will further contribute to the melting of the Arctic ice sheet.
The warning signs are clear. This month it looks like the Arctic will see a record ice melt. Within a few decades, all the ice is likely to disappear in the summer months.
This melting of the ice is having a dramatic effect on ocean water and sea currents and is one of the contributing factors behind climate change that is putting the world’s weather out of whack. There is little question that the change in the Arctic is disturbing the climate balance in other parts of the world.
What is happening instead is there is now a rush by oil and gas companies to steam into the less-frozen and less-forbidding waters of the Arctic Sea to drill for fossil fuels. In a bitter struggle driven by greed, oil companies are in a free for all to drill for oil, which will lead to the burning of more oil and the melting of more ice.
Sane voices are calling for the Arctic Sea to be made into a sanctuary to protect the environment from the inevitable oil spills and to protect the wildlife and way of life of millions of people who live in this testing environment.
Many studies are being carried out, including the ICESCAPE mission, investigate how changing conditions in the Arctic affect the ocean’s chemistry and ecosystems. The findings are – pardon the pun – chilling.
Greenpeace wades in
One of the groups taking action to raise awareness and try to prevent the exploitation of the Arctic is Greenpeace. Greenpeace has had victory before in helping lead the campaign to protect Antarctica. Now a small group is in the Arctic Sea, boarding a Russian offshore oil rig and being drenched with water hoses for their efforts. Russian companies lead the race and promise to adhere to environmental guidelines. Yet it is inevitable that there will be a mess.
Protecting the Arctic matters to us all. But Greenpeace is a group that is taking action.
Just a publicity stunt?
The cynics will question what can be achieved by boarding an offshore rig. After all, they are unable to “occupy” it or close it down. It would appear as much a publicity stunt as anything else.
That, however, is part of the campaign. Environmental news often gets little play and what takes place in the Arctic is largely unseen. So even though the Greenpeace activists are getting hosed down by an angry Russian oil crew, these scenes can now be broadcast around the world.
Staking out the Arctic is an impossible task. It is just too big. Stopping drilling rigs from operating is tough.
Media attention needed
But we would argue that these “publicity stunts” need to be undertaken. They focus people’s attention. They help to galvanize public attention. And in the end what could stop drilling in the Arctic is public pressure, not the “publicity stunts” themselves.
Governments and companies need to be pressured.
If you want to help, please check out Save the Arctic to see what you can do.
Kumi Naidoo on why he is taking action
