Artic Oil Too Risky?
Environmentalists are worried that a rush for “black gold” in the Artic could mean harm to local wildlife.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated 22 percent of the worlds undiscovered, technically recoverable reserves of oil and gas were in the Arctic.
Experts said, companies seeking to explore oil in the Arctic will need better technology to clean up spills onto ice and could face new hazards such as rougher seas caused by climate change
"The Exxon Valdez showed what a catastrophe can be caused by oil in the Arctic," said Ilan Kelman, a scientist at the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research in Oslo. "The environment is remote, harsh and vulnerable."
In 1989, the Exxon Valdez tanker ran aground off Alaska and spilled 11 million U.S. gallons of oil, which killed thousands of birds and marine mammals.
"Responding to major oil spills remains a major challenge in remote, icy environments. This is especially true for spills in waters where ice is present," according to a 2007 report by the Arctic Council, grouping all governments with Arctic territory.
Arctic oil exploitation began in Canada in the 1920s at Norman Wells. However, nearly 90 years later, oil companies still need better technology to handle spills.
According to the study, new cleanup technologies "have yet to be fully tested…spill prevention should be the first priority for all petroleum activities."
The United States, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland benefited from the research.
To minimize risks of spills, governments and oil companies are developing strict safety standards.
The WWF environmental group urged oil companies to completely stop all oil and gas exploration until proper anti-spill technology was developed.
Another major WWF concern is the ability to clean up spills in winter darkness.
"We still lack technology to clean up spills in the ice and we can’t do it in the dark," said Neil Hamilton, head of the WWF’s Arctic Program. "We need a moratorium until the oil spill response gap is filled."
Freezing temperatures mean that any spilt oil breaks down slowly. Environmentalists say the oil stays longer in the environment and poses a dangerous threat to seabirds and polar bears among others.
In 2007, Arctic summer ice shrank to a record low since satellite measurements began. Experts believe global warming is set to make the Arctic region more accessible to oil firms as ice recedes.
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Kelman says, the seas could become rougher if a blanket of sea ice recedes.
"Ice on the sea prevents storms from causing big waves," he said. He said that oil or gas facilities around the Arctic need to be built especially strong since climate change could cause shifts in sea currents, storms and higher waves.
Even with prices at almost $130 a barrel, Paul Johnson, principal scientist at the research laboratories of environmental group Greenpeace in Exeter, England, said the world should not look to the Arctic for oil.
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"We are dealing with ecosystems that may not recover once they are disturbed," he said.
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Image Caption: Workers using high-pressure, hot-water washing to clean an oiled shoreline. In this treatment method, used on many Prince William Sound beaches, oil is hosed from beaches, collected within floating boom, then skimmed from the water surface. Other common treatment methods included cold-water flushing of beaches, manual beach cleaning (by hand or with absorbent pom-poms), bioremediation (application of fertilizers to stimulate growth of local bacteria, which degrade oil), and the mechanical relocation of oiled sediments to places where they could be cleaned by wave and tide action. (NOAA)
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