Global Warming Could Lead To More Arctic Energy
BELGIUM: November 21, 2008
BRUSSELS - The Arctic offers new energy and fishing resources as a result of
global warming and new technology, the European Union said on Thursday.
Melting ice also presented new navigation possibilities such as a short
route to the Pacific Ocean, the EU executive said.
The rapid recession of sea ice, snow cover and permafrost were helping to
accelerate global warming and the loss from the Greenland ice sheet would
bring a swift rise in sea levels, it said in a paper.
States should develop a coordinated approach to the Arctic to ensure the EU
was well placed to take advantage and to help minimize the damage from
increased human activity, it said.
The EU should work particularly with Russia and Norway to facilitate
environmentally friendly energy exploitation.
"The Arctic contains large untapped hydrocarbon reserves," it said. "Arctic
resources could contribute to enhancing the EU's security of supply
concerning energy and raw materials in general."
The EU must keep its edge in sustainable energy exploitation and encourage
research and innovation to facilitate oil and gas exploration in harsher
climates and deeper waters, while insisting on full respect for
environmental standards, it said.
Melting of sea ice would open new navigation routes and could considerably
shorten sea trips from Europe to the Pacific as well opening new fishing
areas, the paper said. Explorers had for centuries searched for such a
route.
On fisheries, it called for establishment of a regulatory framework for
Arctic high seas not yet covered by international conservation regimes
before new fishing opportunities arose.
"Until a conservation and management regime is in place for the areas not
yet covered by such a regime, no new fisheries should commence," it said.
Three EU states -- Denmark through Greenland, Finland and Sweden -- have
Arctic territories, while non-EU states Iceland and Norway are part of the
European Economic Area.
A report released in September by the European Environment Agency, the World
Health Organization and the European Commission found the minimum surface
area of Arctic sea ice was only half the normal minimum measured in the
1950s.
It said the sea level rise could place 4 million Europeans at risk of
flooding by 2100 along with 2 trillion euros ($2.9 trillion) of assets, from
London to Athens.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Story by David Brunnstrom
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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