Polar passions: Vying nations leave the U.S. behind in the Arctic
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One outgrowth of global warming is increased international interest in previously inaccessible areas of the Arctic Ocean, including the North Pole and the Northwest Passage.
So far, Russia and Canada have been the early birds poising themselves to grab the economic worm presented by these two targets. The two countries' actions do not give them a right to their respective zones, but the presumed distraction of the administration of President Bush with other issues, like the Iraq war, have meant that so far the United States has not been on the field in the early innings of this game.
Canada claims sovereignty over the Northwest Passage, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by way of the Arctic. Last month it announced its intention to buy six to eight new patrol boats to assert its authority there, as the route's icy cover during winter begins to diminish with global warming. The region is of interest both as a transport route and as a possible source of offshore, underwater oil and minerals. The U.S. Geological Survey speculates that the area could contain up to a quarter of the world's undiscovered oil and gas reserves. The boats would cost Canada $3 billion and would go into service in six or seven years.
The United States disputes Canada's claim to the passage, considering much of it to be international waters.
The North Pole, much harder to get at than the Northwest Passage, nonetheless has begun to seem more accessible with global warming proceeding. Parts of the floor of the Arctic Ocean under the North Pole region are claimed by Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States. The ocean floor is nearly three miles below the ice.
Nonetheless, last week Russia lowered two mini-submarines down to the seabed under the pole and planted a Russian flag encapsulated in titanium. The Russians claim that the ocean floor under the pole and half the Arctic Ocean are part of Russia's economic zone. The claim to the polar region is based on an unsubstantiated assertion that a ridge there is an extension of the continental shelf of Siberia, thus making the area Russian. Canada and Denmark claim the same ridge, so the Russians declaring the pole as theirs doesn't make it so.
The United States comes out looking somewhat short on adventurousness and enterprise as Canada and Russia seize the day in seeking to plant their flags in the Arctic. This is not the United States that went to the moon. Is its leadership getting soft, or is it too engrossed in Iraq?
First Published August 6, 2007 8:14 pm
