Arctic sea ice melting faster than ever

As FP has noted in the past, many see the Arctic as the last great frontier for oil and gas exploration. By one prominent estimate, the Arctic region may hold as much as a quarter of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas reserves. The area’s remoteness and harsh climate, however, mean that the technology is ...

600011_197909055.png
600011_197909055.png

As FP has noted in the past, many see the Arctic as the last great frontier for oil and gas exploration. By one prominent estimate, the Arctic region may hold as much as a quarter of the world's undiscovered oil and gas reserves. The area's remoteness and harsh climate, however, mean that the technology is still not sufficient to access these reserves, and therefore profitable exploitation of them might not be feasible until 2050.

As FP has noted in the past, many see the Arctic as the last great frontier for oil and gas exploration. By one prominent estimate, the Arctic region may hold as much as a quarter of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas reserves. The area’s remoteness and harsh climate, however, mean that the technology is still not sufficient to access these reserves, and therefore profitable exploitation of them might not be feasible until 2050.


But oil and gas companies may not have to wait that long. In 2007, the extent of Arctic sea ice is likely to have declined further than in any other recorded year—reduced by an area greater than the size of California and Texas combined. This means the Arctic could become an energy center sooner than expected, not to mention one of the most critical sea lanes of communication in the world. The melting of the ice caps, along with improvements in shipping technology, will significantly cut the travel time between Asian manufacturing centers and western consumer markets.

While this may have some companies excited, it’s certainly bad news for the Arctic’s many inhabitants, including whales, walrus, seals, birds, fish and polar bears, as well as the Inupiat people who have resided in the area for 2,500 years. With their livelihoods already severely affected by global warming, the opening up of the Arctic to energy companies and shippers could ultimately mean the end of the Inupiat way of life.

Prerna Mankad is a researcher at Foreign Policy.

More from Foreign Policy

A photo collage illustration shows U.S. political figures plotted on a foreign-policy spectrum from most assertive to least. From left: Dick Cheney, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, George H.W. Bush, Ron Desantis, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Bernie Sanders.
A photo collage illustration shows U.S. political figures plotted on a foreign-policy spectrum from most assertive to least. From left: Dick Cheney, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, George H.W. Bush, Ron Desantis, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Bernie Sanders.

The Scrambled Spectrum of U.S. Foreign-Policy Thinking

Presidents, officials, and candidates tend to fall into six camps that don’t follow party lines.

A girl touches a photograph of her relative on the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian war in Kyiv.
A girl touches a photograph of her relative on the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian war in Kyiv.

What Does Victory Look Like in Ukraine?

Ukrainians differ on what would keep their nation safe from Russia.

A man is seen in profile standing several yards away from a prison.
A man is seen in profile standing several yards away from a prison.

The Biden Administration Is Dangerously Downplaying the Global Terrorism Threat

Today, there are more terror groups in existence, in more countries around the world, and with more territory under their control than ever before.

Then-Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez arrives for a closed-door briefing by intelligence officials at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Then-Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez arrives for a closed-door briefing by intelligence officials at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Blue Hawk Down

Sen. Bob Menendez’s indictment will shape the future of Congress’s foreign policy.