Natural Resources of the Arctic

A natural resource is defined as materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain. The Arctic region is rich in natural resources. The North American Arctic contains pockets of uranium, copper, nickel, iron, natural gas, and oil. The Russian Arctic holds abundant deposits of nickel, copper, coal, gold, uranium, tungsten, and diamonds. As most of us probably already know, oil is the largest natural resource of the Arctic region.

Oil

 The Russian Arctic is also, "the source for about 80 percent of this oil and virtually all of the natural gas; Arctic Canada, Alaska, and Norway are the other leading producers." (https://arctic.ru/resources/).  The Arctic region produces about one-tenth of the world's oil and about one-fourth of the worlds natural gas. There are more than four hundred onshore gas and oil in the Northern Arctic Circle. More than two-thirds of the producing areas are located in Russia, mainly Siberia. The largest gas fields are located in the coastal area of Alaska and Serbia.  In the US Arctic, the oil reserves are at about fifteen million barrels, and gas reserves are over two trillion cubic meters. In the Canadian Arctic, the Mackenzie River Delta has forty-nine gas and oil fields and fifteen fields on the Canadian Arctic archipelago. 

Oil Drilling

Oil drilling in the Arctic region is an extremely dangerous task especially with the geographical location and the severe weather conditions in the region. Large oil spills are bound to happen with the rapid change in weather and melting of ice chunks. "In January, the Trump administration called for the removal of crucial Arctic protections in a new draft proposal of where oil and gas companies can purchase leases for offshore drilling." (WWF, How would offshore oil and gas drilling in the Arctic impact wildlife). An oil spill would completely contaminate the marine life in the Arctic waters, which is a major food source for most of the mammals of the region. Most of the animal life of the region lives on land, travels on the ice, and goes swimming in the Arctic waters. The entire ecosystem would be altered so much that many species could become endangered.

Russia in the Arctic

The Arctic region is one of the least regulated places on earth, no one owns it. Russia dominates most of this region geographically. They have more icebreakers than any other country in the region. Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan states,  “The highways of the Arctic are icebreakers. Russia has superhighways, and we have dirt roads with potholes.”(Slav, The Arctic Resource Race Is On And It Will Be Peaceful). Unlike the United States, Russia uses the Arctic as an economic development priority. 

Stop Drilling

There are many different environmental groups and activists who are against oil drilling in the Arctic Region. A group called Greenpeace is nonprofit and allows you to get involved and become aware of the real issues of the environment, and they hold peaceful protests. "We believe in the public’s right to know about what’s happening to our planet. Our investigations expose environmental crimes and the people, companies and governments that need to be held responsible." (Greenpeace).  The other well-known group interesting in preserving the environment is the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). They are a huge organization that specifies in helping animals and species of all kind of all regions of the world. They have various ways for people to connect through being an activist or even fundraising. 

Greenpeace Activist dressed as a polar bear in Norway

Activists in kayaks protesting Shell oil drilling at the Port of Seattle

Citations

1. “Natural Resources.” Arctic, 12 Dec. 2018, arctic.ru/resources/.

2. “How Would Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling in the Arctic Impact Wildlife?” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/stories/how-would-offshore-oil-and-gas-drilling-in-the-arctic-impact-wildlife.

3. “Arctic Oil Drilling.” Greenpeace International, www.greenpeace.org/usa/arctic/issues/oil-drilling/.

4. “Arctic Extractives Search.” National Ocean Economics Program, www.oceaneconomics.org/arctic/extractive/extractSearch.aspx?xtype=petro.

5. Slav, Irina. “The Arctic Resource Race Is On And It Will Be Peaceful.” OilPrice.com, 29 Jan. 2017, oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Arctic-Resource-Race-Is-On-And-It-Will-Be-Peaceful.html.