In
recent weeks oil companies have started to drill in the Chukchi and
Beaufort seas. These two seas are located north and northwest of the
Alaskan region. These regions are a part of the Arctic ocean connecting
Alaska and Russia. Temperatures in the Arctic are warming four times
faster than is national average. As the ice melts oil companies are
gaining a more formidable environment to drill for oil. Climate change
in this region has reduced the amount of ice and increased the
temperatures. This environment was once untouchable because of the harsh
and unstable climate. Peter E. Slaiby, vice president of Shell Alaska
said "I will be one of those persons most cheering for an endless summer
in Alaska,". Oil companies are looking to exploit the climate change to
tap into the oil reserves of this region. Researchers have said that 22
percent of the world’s hydrocarbon deposits and more than 200 trillion
cubic feet of natural gas could come from this area. New oil drilling
rigs could bring a number of pollutants to the area, but Alaska in no
stranger to oil pollution. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez hit a reef in
Prince William Sound. 11 million US gallons of crude oil was spilled
over 1,100 miles of coastline. Oil spills in the area could be
intensified by mixing with the ice slush of the Arctic. Oil rigs in the
Arctic are drilling in a new dangerous territory, so unexpected
challenges could arise at any moment. The oil industries are already
creating pollution in stable environments, such as the Gulf Coast.
Having increased pressures from this harsh environment could prove to be
disastrous.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/09/120910-shell-begins-arctic-drilling/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska
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