3.1 - Arctic Rollover

Question 1

What does global climate change mean for a contested space like the Arctic?

Answer 1

Receding polar ice caps has changed the access to oil/natural gas in the Arctic

Question 2

How much of Alaska’s oil budget depends on oil revenues?

Answer 2

88%

Question 3

What 2 things did Russia do to claim Arctic territory in 2007?

Answer 3

1) Russian submarine put a Russian flag at the North Pole

2) Russa restarted long-range Arctic bomber patrols

Question 4

Give 2 reasons as to why countries want to claim the oil reserves in the Arctic?

Answer 4

They want to establish energy security and perhaps gain profit

Question 5

What and where is the Lomonosov Ridge?

Answer 5

It is a giant undersea land mass that extends from Russia to Greenland

Question 6

What did Canada do in 2002?

Answer 6

Started military exercises in the Arctic and now do this annually

Question 7

Why does an increase in global warming make tension more likely?

Answer 7

Global warming makes the Arctic more accessible to shipping for longer periods of the year and oil and mineral exploration becomes easier

Question 8

In theory, which organisation decided whose claims of the Arctic stand?

Answer 8

The UN

Question 9

What is the issue with the UN deciding who claims areas of the Arctic

Answer 9

Powerful countries involved may not respect the decisions made if it’s not in their favour

Question 10

How much of the world’s undiscovered gas is in the Arctic as estimated by the US Geological Survey?

Answer 10

30%

Question 11

How much of the world’s oil resources are in the Arctic as estimated by the US Geological Survey?

Answer 11

13%

Question 12

What is the Arctic oil and gas dispute centred around?

Answer 12

It is centred around whether the Lomonosov Ridge is an extension of Russia’s continental shelf (and therefore part of its EEZ or not)

Question 13

What could players do to reduce the likeliness of tensions arising?

Answer 13

Players could invest in alternatives (e.g. renewable energy over fossil fuels), or prioritise conservation over resource exploitation

Question 14

What is an EEZ?

Answer 14

Exclusive Economic Zone - area of ocean that extends to the edge of a country’s continental shelf or 200 miles beyond the coastline - where a nation controls the sea and sub-sea resources

Question 15

Which 3 parties involved in the Arctic dispute have nuclear weapons?

Answer 15

Russia, the USA and EU

Question 16

What has increased after Russia placed their flag on the North Pole? why?

Answer 16

‘Scientific expeditions’ as countries seek to have a greater presence in that area

Question 17

What have Russia and Canada both done?

Answer 17

They have created dedicated ‘Arctic Forces’ to protect their interests

Question 18

How much is the oil worth in the Arctic?

Answer 18

90-100 million barrels of oil which is worth billions of dollars