9781422279243

6

O I L A N D GA S I N T H E A R C T I C

I ntroduction

H umankind is in the midst of an environmental crisis. Science has shown that the climate of the earth is changing, due in no small part to our dependence on fossil fuels. Global consumption of petro- leum and other liquid fuels is expected to rise by 1.5 million barrels per day in 2016 and 2017, further threatening our unstable climate. What’s more, these resources are finite, meaning they cannot be re- placed once we take them out of the ground. Turning organic matter into oil and gas is a natural process that takes millions of years—much more time than we have to meet today’s energy demands. This is a complex problem with many proposed solutions. Envi- ronmentalists, climate scientists, and many who live in vulnerable landscapes believe the best way forward is to begin “phasing out” of fossil fuels. This means developing alternative energy sources such as wind, water, and solar. Some industrialists, politicians, and other supporters of continuing with oil and gas believe fossil fuels are the only sure way to keep the international economy going.These groups see the Arctic as a vast, untapped resource. The effects of climate change have already begun to make them- selves felt in the Arctic. Ice is melting, sea levels are rising, and pre- viously inaccessible regions are now open for exploration. Already companies like Shell have dug exploratory wells in places that were out of reach a few decades ago. New sea lanes open up trade routes through the Arctic for fossil fuels, making them much less difficult to transport from such remote areas. While this may mean increased profits for companies and re- source availability for consumers, Arctic drilling comes at a cost. New infrastructure can damage native landscapes and endanger the