The extractive industries source book eisb is a free online interactive source. Greenlanders divided on arctic oil, gas exploration. Remote locations and harsh weather conditions extreme cold, long seasons of darkness, high wind, hurricanes, storms, fog complex surface condi. Horizontal drilling increases the production rate of a well because it has greater surface area and because it allows access to oil miles away and in. Jun 24, 2012 highlighting the potential impacts of oil exploration in the arctic and the damages it would cause.
Shell plc from parking two arctic offshore drilling rigs on seattles waterfront, an effort to thwart the new frontier in oil exploration and. What are the disadvantages of oil drilling in the arctic region. With all the amazing discoveries hidden in the ice and water, arctic exploration can truly be considered a new scientific frontier. Some are of the opinion that since oil is a basic necessity that is utilized for carrying out our daytoday activities, why not drill oil to meet our requirements, other than relying on foreign oil. That equates to about 34 billion barrels of crude in the u. Arctic national wildlife refuge oil drilling pros and cons. At the same time, environmental risks and popular opposition to oil and gas activity in the arctic are factors that could undermine.
The arctic national wildlife refuge is americas largest and wildest piece of publicly owned land. The arctic, which includes both the chukchi and beaufort seas, is estimated to contain at least 20% of the worlds undiscovered crude oil and natural gas. Oil drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge. It is the third deal rosneft has signed in the past month, after arctic exploration agreements with italys eni and us giant exxon mobil compared to other arctic oil states, norway is probably best equipped for oil spill preparedness in the arctic. Anwr alaska natural wildlife reserve oil drilling energy calculations. Alaskans debate pros, cons of oil drilling in arctic refuge. Polar exploration in the arctic and antarctic weareteachers. Cameron on august 28, 2015 leave a comment in july 2015 the obama administration has given royal dutch shell plc approval to begin with limited exploratory oil drilling off alaskas northwest coast, in the chukchi sea. This is one of the few books in english as well as, arguably, the best one to. Where the arctic oil industry is booming bloomberg. Rosneft and statoil made the arctic exploration deal in may 2012.
Aug 17, 2011 greenlanders divided on arctic oil, gas exploration the fastchanging world is in cringing on the arctic. Shell plans to drill for oil just off the north coast of alaska, pulling the detonator on a carbon bomb. The nineteenth international offshore and polar engineering conference, osaka, japan, 2009. The arctic ocean might seem a long long way from houston. In order to test the possibility of expanding the oil and gas exploration season for the north slope, the study analyzed the.
Oil drilling on alaskas north slope has disturbed some endangered species and made whaling harder, but it has not caused significant oil spills or a large decline in caribou, a scientific panel. Drilling in the alaskan arctic national wildlife reserve vs. The city of barow, the most northerly city in the us, is ground zero for the world. In 2016, the government of canada, along with the united states, imposed a fiveyear moratorium on issuing new oil and gas licenses in the arctic ocean but operations can still proceed under the dozens of existing permits. So why should we be concerned with something happening way. The arctic national wildlife refuge and americas energy reckoning. The oil ministry is offering 93 blocks in the barents sea, entirely in the.
Jun 21, 2017 norway has infuriated environmental groups by opening up a record number of blocks in the arctic for oil exploration. Probably the first to approach the arctic regions was a greek, pytheas, who in the 4th century bce made a. High commodity prices is of course met due to the rise of crude oil prices and continued investment in drilling technologies. The vast arctic region is probably the last remaining unexplored source of hydrocarbons on the planet. For norway, natural gas exploration in the barents sea is crucial to maintain current levels of production in the future. Oil and natural gas resources map of the arctic ocean. Nature, exploration and exploitation mccannon, john on. Floating production platforms and their applications in the. The exploration of the arctic for petroleum is considered to be extremely technically challenging.
Unfortunately, his writings have been lost and there is much speculation as to whether pytheas voyaged to iceland, the shetlands, or possibly. Topics covered in this book include a brief historical background of arctic oil and gas development. What are the advantages of oil drilling in the arctic apart. Maria cantwell dwa, has led the opposition to drilling in the senate, according to the seattle pi. The dry tree application enables the extension of the drilling application for.
Here are the pros and cons to consider when thinking about drilling for oil in this protected area. There are many challenges to drilling for oil in the arctic, but i am not aware of any advantages. As a result, the region has received significant interest from the petroleum industry since the onset of the 2010s oil glut in 2014, the commercial interest in arctic exploration has. Offshore oil and gas governance in the arctic brookings institution. This will bring about a reduction in the price of oil that. The worst journey in the world by apsley cherrygarrard, endurance. Norway opens up record 93 blocks for arctic oil exploration.
Denmark through greenland has not been a major player in hydrocarbon development. The arctic is a cold, remote, dark, dangerous and expensive place to explore for oil and natural gas. Shell has already pulled back plans to drill in the arctic ocean. As royal dutch shell and other oil companies prepare to drill offshore in the alaskan outer continental shelf ocs, a new report commissioned by the washington, dcbased pew environment group concludes current response capabilities arent adequate to contain and clean up a major spill in the area. Arctic exploration videos and latest news articles. The arctic s vast oil resource and the high price of oil are what currently attract attention to the arctic area. According to arctic power, an organization devoted to oil exploration in the arctic national wildlife refuge, horizontal drilling techniques have revolutionized the drilling process in the region. The healy seamount is a stunning find that rises more than 3000 meters off the ocean floor. Polar exploration in the arctic and antarctic by guest blogger joann wasik at recently, i read a harrowing account of a doomed 1912 arctic expedition, where a ship seeking new hunting grounds became frozen in the pack ice of the kara sea. October 2014 the prospects and challenges for arctic oil development 2 between arctic states will be prerequisites for success. Aug 28, 2015 the impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic by e. The earliest references to arctic exploration are shrouded in obscurity as a result both of inaccurate ideas of the shape of the earth and of primitive navigation techniques, which make it difficult to interpret early maps and accounts of voyages. An oil industry consortium including exxon and bp has suspended its canadian arctic exploration program in the beaufort sea, citing insufficient time to begin test drilling before its lease.
According to a study by nasa, the thickest and oldest parts of the arctic caps are melting at the fastest rate that they have been since 1980. The north slope, where the drilling for oil is highly observed, is the home of the arctic national wildlife refuge, the naval petroleum reserve no. The impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic peace. Norway sued over arctic oil exploration plans the guardian. What are the negative impacts of oil exploration in the arctic. The group has been lobbying for all oil drilling and exploration in the arctic to stop. Oct 24, 2003 oil drilling on alaskas north slope has disturbed some endangered species and made whaling harder, but it has not caused significant oil spills or a large decline in caribou, a scientific panel. The prospects and challenges for arctic oil development. Offshore hydrocarbon resources in the arctic february 2016 6. Given the pros and cons of different approaches, would it be irresponsible to allow cautious, but still profitdriven, oil drilling in the arctic.
After reading the books about elisha kane and the polaris survivors i thought i had sensed a developing pattern in books on arctic exploration. Shell to suspend oil exploration in alaskan arctic. Global sanctuary or global gold mine the pros and cons. The three factors that would make the exploration of arctic reserves attractive to oil and gas companies are high commodity prices and technological feasibility, coupled with favorable environmental conditions. Sparring with alaskas senator stevens, cantwell said in march 2005, we cant drill our way to energy independence in the. Unanswered questions logitech g533, g933 or g935what i look for is a headset where i can still hear my surrounding. All the information we have is that an arctic oil spill would be impossible to clean up, said greenpeace. Most of the oil comes from the north slope, referring to the land adjacent to the chukchi and beaufort seas down to the brooks mountain range the area of land depicted on the map above.
These arctic explorers and their books are the real northpolar stars, according to john r. The arctic is one of the most remote and uncharted areas of the world. A history of oil in the arctic climate interpreter. We see more benefits than disadvantages from oil and gas. Sep 17, 20 shell oil president marvin odum defended the companys exploration in the arctic in january. They focused on the people who went north, on the events surrounding specific voyages, on spectacular successes and failures. Petroleum exploration and extraction in the arctic have long been a controversial topic 26, 53. Companies are exploring for minerals and oil and gas reserves. Dec 30, 2014 the three factors that would make the exploration of arctic reserves attractive to oil and gas companies are high commodity prices and technological feasibility, coupled with favorable environmental conditions. The pros and cons of arctic oil drilling and why we should start now. The argument for drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge is economic. Currently, no offshore oil and gas drilling is taking place in the canadian arctic. In overcoming the technical challenges of oil production in the arctic, are we making the most of a strategic resource or heading for an environmental and political minefield.
What are the pros and cons of oil and gas exploration in the arctic. The pros and cons of arctic oil drilling and why we. Anchorage cn alaskans for and against drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge offered. Well i found a short article that pretty much sums it all up so im going to copy it right here. Nov 14, 2017 the norwegian government is being sued by climate activists over a decision to open up areas of the arctic ocean for oil exploration, a move they say endangers the lives of existing and future.
Exxon mobil, bp suspend canadian arctic exploratory drilling. Nov 23, 2014 there could be a large reserve of fossil fuels in the arctic national wildlife refuge. Aug 31, 2011 with current oil reserves coping with increased pressure from emerging markets in china and india, the arctic and its seas are seen as being of crucial importance. Pros and cons of drilling in anwr the drilling of oil anwr is a controversial topic among the oil industry, politicians, and environmentalists.
The arctics vast oil resource and the high price of oil are what currently attract attention to the arctic area. What are the pros and cons of oil and gas exploration in. The pros and cons of arctic oil drilling houston public media. The gwichin people, most of whom live south of the brooks range and therefore dont work in the oil fields or get oil royalties, and who still depend on caribou for much of their diet, oppose drilling. Oil, gas, and mining open knowledge repository world bank. Controversy over shells oil exploration in arctic continues. A history of oil in the arctic today in alaska, the vast majority of oil from the states arctic region comes from onshore drilling wells. May 03, 2017 despite industry optimism, arctic drilling remains controversial in norway, a country of 5. The pros and cons of oil drilling has been a debatable topic since a long time. We finished the 2012 drilling season, didnt have any incidents there, we didnt have any. The period of arctic exploration covers almost 2500 years, starting with the greek, pytheas of massalia marseilles in 320 b. But, unfortunately for the 700 species of plants and animals that rely on the. However, recent technological developments, as well as relatively high oil prices, have allowed for exploration.
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