Module 2.3 Discussion Topic

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Oct 30, 2023

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Climate Change and the Arctic - Perspectives on large-scale oil and gas extraction I do not think that large-scale oil and gas development in the arctic is a good idea mainly because it is well documented that negative impacts on these fragile ecosystems could have world-wide impacts. The main reason that activity could be increased in the Arctic is because more months of the year will be ice-free as global warming continues. The readings we have done in this Module has shown us that the Arctic is a particularly vulnerable place for warming to happen - in fact the consequences of warming are accelerated because of certain qualities of the region. For example, darker land and ocean is left exposed after snow and ice has melted, which increases warming in the Arctic; and related to this, as the sea ice disappears, the Arctic oceans warm more in the summer and this heat remains in the ocean throughout winter, raising the winter atmospheric temperatures (Arctic Climate Impact Assessment). The science also shows that the Arctic is thawing twice as fast as the rest of the planet therefore is seems that extra precaution should be taken in the region - the more that is degraded the harder it will be fore the remaining components of the environment to adapt (Council on Foreign Relations). Climate change impacts more than just the ice and snow, but also the permafrost of the Arctic tundra. With the permafrost thawing, existing infrastructure is already being compromised, leading to environmental contamination, as was seen in Russia’s Arctic region this past May (“Russia Arctic oil spill pollutes big lake near Norlisk”). Permafrost thawing due to climate change over the past thirty years is the reason that the oil storage tanks could no longer support load and the spill has contaminated surrounding water resources. Oil and gas extraction is a costly endeavour because it demands highly specific technology and infrastructure, and is made more complicated by the harsh environments in which they must operate. Interestingly, “environmental risks and popular opposition to oil and gas activity in the Arctic are factors that could undermine hydrocarbon development” (The Prospects and Challenges for Arctic Oil Development, p. 2). Consideration of environmental degradation at the hand of energy extraction doesn’t seem to factor in to decisions regarding oil and gas in other regions of the world. Canada is one of the few places where it is clearly seen that, besides the main deterrent of cost for drilling, additional environmental protection barriers are also what have kept Canadian Arctic regions comparatively free of oil and gas extraction (The Prospects and Challenges for Arctic Oil Development). Overall, I do not support large-scale oil and gas extraction in the Arctic, because I believe that the resources put into the technology and infrastructure would be better spent on developing sustainable or renewable sources of energy that won’t be putting more fossil fuels into the atmosphere. (Besides, the more costly it is to extract the oil/gas, the more expensive it will be for the consumer anyway, so will it be worth it for the extraction corporations at all?) And I found it interesting, especially in the Prospects and Challenges

for Arctic Oil Development, to learn that the Arctic environment is treated differently than other regions that are known for oil and gas extraction - no one wants to be the one that is responsible for messing up the pristine Arctic! Sources Hassol, S. J. (2004). Impacts of a warming arctic: Arctic climate impact assessment. Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. Retrieved from http://www.amap.no/documents/doc/impacts-of-a-warming-arctic- 2004/786 Henderson, J. & Low, J. S. P. (2014, Nov. 4). The prospects and challenges for arctic oil development. Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (WPN 54). “The Emerging Arctic.” From the Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/publication/interactive/32620#!/32620 “Russian Arctic oil spill pollutes big late near Norilsk.” BBC online, June 9, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52977740

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