Oil companies and USGS to look for oil under receding polar caps
As
the Arctic ice caps shrink due to the warming of the planet, it's expected that vast reserves of additional oil
and gas will become available, as approximately 25 percent of the planet's petroleum is thought to lie under the
polar ice caps. In an effort to map these hydrocarbon resources, the US Geological Society (USGS), BP,
and Statoil will be heading far north to conduct widespread surveys next year.
What is frustrating a few people is that the survey activity will take place in conjunction with the International Polar Year, which is a large scientific project intended to establish benchmark polar environmental data so that the future effects of global warming can be understood. To critics, this seems a bit like joining the World Wildlife Federation to help collect data on endangered species, only to bring a hunting rifle just in case something looks tasty.
[Sources: Taipai Times; International Polar Year]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
David Sohl 5:37PM (4/20/2006)
USGS is not a society - it is the United States Geological Survey which is an agency of the US government. Give credit where it is due.
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Brian 5:40PM (4/20/2006)
Oh the irony!
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Tommy 5:45PM (4/20/2006)
Yeah, not surprising. As soon as global warming hits, Bush starts claiming that Canada's Arctic is 'disputed' territory. Forcing us (Canada) to spend billions on Arctic sovereignty measures.
(sigh) Oh well... I guess eventually we'll get invaded by Bush. We have too many natural resources to avoid becoming a victim of the Oil Wars. The Bush administration is starting to realize that American hegemony over Canada only goes so far.
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jm 5:47PM (4/20/2006)
This will be interesting. Suppose if they find huge oil deposits in Antartica, who do they belong to?
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Roger Rusch 5:52PM (4/20/2006)
The article, "Green Driving: Fueling Up With Ethanol"
By Edmunds.com Editors, contains some nonsense. The US does NOT consume 300 times as much as any other nation. This is a preposterous statement and it creates the impression that the authors are morons. There are a too many zeros. The US consumes maybe 3 times as much as any other nation. About 20 million out of 80 million barrels per day or about 25% of the total.
However, the idea of using home grown ethanol is great
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Dave 5:56PM (4/20/2006)
To #3,
Wow Tommy, wonderful hyperbole.
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Ryan S. 5:57PM (4/20/2006)
This is bad on so many levels...
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mdnetguru 5:58PM (4/20/2006)
Yay, The Global Warming Money Machine
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John Cressy 6:01PM (4/20/2006)
The South Pole Penguins get the oil rights and the North Pole Polar Bears get their oil rights. Are Canadiens that paranoid? eh! What about the Global Cooling that took place between 1940 and 1968? Duh! ever heard of that? The Global temperature stopped rising in 1998. It hasn't gone down but, hasn't risen either. Where I live used to be 15% forested in 1865. Now it is 85% forested. Do you think this changes the climate? In 1865 everything had been cut down to build homes and farms and heat homes. Everyplace you look in New England there are stone walls with forests. In 1865 behind those walls was cleared land and most likely crops, sheep, or cattle. Get a grip.
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joe 6:08PM (4/20/2006)
The polar bears better have their wills written out if the stand to inherit anything....
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1938132,00.html
Truly sad....
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Tommy 6:14PM (4/20/2006)
#9 - Americans denying global warming is just as alarming (and ridiculous looking) as Middle East countries denying the Holocaust, with perhaps worse repurcussions.
Canada's taking this seriously:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060418.ARCTIC18/TPStory/National
it's only the first step to a permanent military presence up there.
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doug 6:19PM (4/20/2006)
It's like burning down a house to look for the jewelry.
The Canadians shouldn't be upset. Soon they will have beach resorts on the Northern Territories shores. Your on notice: you have 54 years to make your northern girls hot so they look good at the new beach! :)
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Johnny B 6:23PM (4/20/2006)
You have got to be kidding me...
Can't anyone else see the madness in all of this?
There are too many alternatives to keep looking for oil...It's as if the world is unwilling as long as there is oil to be had...And this isn't just the USA...
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Chuck 6:29PM (4/20/2006)
Global Warming, well if Oil Keeps things from over heating, (Wheel Bearings etc.) do you think it does the same for the earth, From the inner core??? Now they want to take Oil from under the Ice Caps. Now lets think about it!!, All anybody wants is to get dirty rich, and thats the bottom line!!!
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John Cressy 6:43PM (4/20/2006)
Interesting Canadien article. That is Canadien Forces they are talking about. I served for 21 years in the USAF during the cold war. Never left the states. I know this. Anytime someone (or a scientist) disagrees with the Global Warming group they get put down or their funding gets cut. Why get railroaded into spending large sums of time and money on trying to prevent something you have no power over. Example: I work on water filtration. The US changed the allowable level of arsenic in water from 50 PPB to 10 PPB. This change will cost Billions of dollars that could be spent elsewhere. It may save 22 lives over a lifetime. It is creating thousands of jobs in the well and pump industry to eliminate arsenic. Don't you think we could have saved more people investing the billions somewhere's else. We also make Drinking water, Radon removal equipment. If you try to sell your home and it has radon or high arsenic levels, you may spend thousands to get the level to a safe one. You should see the money being spent on arsenic removal by local community water supplies. Talk about high taxes.
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Marc Ricks 7:01PM (4/20/2006)
Wow. Americans scream, "We need to get independent from foreign oil!" The catch 22 of it is, when we talk about drilling in the ANWR (which, despite the liberal spin would NOT affect wildlife in that region because we have the ability to be doing lateral drilling), people scream about problems that are VASTLY EXXAGERATED (please note, I said exaggerated, not false). According to Wikipedia.com, anticipated drilling is in approximately 0.01% of ANWR's area - leaving virtually all of the refuge untouched.
While I will admit that technology is a double-edged sword (with the good comes the bad), you cant focus just on the negatives (unless youre just a pessimistic person). The benefits that would come from mild-impact drilling far outweigh the negatives (that goes for Canada too, with $4 per gallon gas). Due to advances in refining, the oil produced from the ANWR oil field would give us freedom from the price-gouging OPEC for up to 25 years. In that time, more effort could be spent on finding alternate sources of fuel.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let the personal attacks begin!!
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Razib Ahmed 7:03PM (4/20/2006)
Who will be the owner of this new found oil? ANyway, it is perhaps time that we strongly think about investing more money on alternative sources of energy. India has emerged as the fourth largest power in wind energy. If a poor country like India can do so then why not USA , Canada and other rich countries?
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bernie 7:04PM (4/20/2006)
God forbid we change OUR wasteful habits or be introspective in any way. This country has 6% of the world population and we use over 40% of its resources.
We can only hope if they find anything in Antarctica it's well after the Bush Ship of Fools has sailed away. He attack Australia, Canada or Englan over oil in a heartbeat.
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Whydrive 7:22PM (4/20/2006)
I wonder why people keep pointing the finger to the U.S. about pollution and global warming. Take a closer look at the Asian countries (specifically China and India) and look at how much pollution they've been producing, currently produce, and will produce for the foreseeable future to meet their demands. We can try to convince the average American to change their habits but it's not going to amount to much in the grand scheme of things.
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TheRaven 7:29PM (4/20/2006)
To #3,
Don't be rediculous...
We want your oil AND we want to destroy your low cost drugs. Government, Oil, and the Healthcare industry - thats your real axis of evil.
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