Inquiry over the commercialisation of the Arctic

The UK has launched an inquiry into the potential consequences of the commercialisation of the Arctic, as melting ice has opened up the region to trade.

Oil and gas drilling in the Arctic has been widely discussed recently, with official reports submitted by the Russian Institute of Oceanic Studies suggesting that the western sector of the Russian Arctic alone has about 42 billion tonnes of oil and 71 trillion cubic metres of gas. The melting of the ice has also opened up to shipping trade and fishing routes.

The Environment Audit Committee has been set up to investigate the potential consequences these commercial changes could have on the region.

According to Joan Whalley MP, who is the chair of the Environmental Audit Committee: "We will be looking at what the UK government can do to ensure that the Arctic is protected and whether it is even possible to drill for oil and gas safely in such remote regions."

“Concerns over climate change should be recognised internationally as a limiting factor on any new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic,” she added.

Posted by Joseph Hutton