Canada To Map Arctic Resources
With the rapid retreat of polar ice, a brave new world is being opened up to those who are willing to go take it. We’ve seen America and Russia send parties north to stake claims, and now Canada is following suit, looking to discover and tap mineral, oil and gas riches beneath the Arctic.
Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the decision on Tuesday. Researchers both on the ground and in the air will be gathering data on Canada’s three northern territories: the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
“We know from over a century of northern resource exploration that there is gas in the Beaufort (Sea), oil in the Eastern Arctic, and gold in the Yukon,” Harper told reporters. “There are diamonds in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, and countless other precious resources buried under the ice, sea and tundra. But what we’ve found so far is merely the tip of the iceberg.”
The question remains though, just how much of that iceberg is going to be left by the time Canada and other Arctic landowners are through with it. Even on the small scale, any drilling operation is going to require a massive input of manpower and technological resources, each contributing to the damage already being caused in the fragile Arctic landscape.
“Managed properly, Canada’s share of this incredible endowment will fuel the prosperity of our country for generations,” said Harper. The Canadian government also stated that it plans to use “state of the art geological science and technology to map the energy and mineral potential of the North.”
But I can’t help but worry at the phrasing, especially in Canada’s hopes in finding “the treasures buried there.” What about the treasures that are slowly being eroded, melted or killed?
Photo credit: treasuresthouhast at Flickr under a Creative Commons license
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