The next time a well-funded Climate-denier tells you that "the Science is Debatable"
-- just tell them: "Not in the Arctic, it isn't."
And then send them this link.
Canada to spend billions on Arctic military equipment -- Report
rt.com -- March 14, 2015
As demand for the Arctic’s resource riches heats up, Canada is set to spend billions of dollars on new patrol ships, polar satellites, upgrading transport and providing winter gear for troops, among other expenditures.
In keeping with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s pledge to increase Canada’s footprint in the Arctic, which he believes is essential for spurring the country’s economic growth, the Conservative government has announced a multi-billion dollar shopping list of everything from naval ships to weather satellites, Defense News reported.
[...]
According to the US Geological Survey, the Arctic contains 30 percent of the world's untapped natural gas and 15 percent of its oil, with the majority of resources located offshore.
Since the advent of global warming and the thawing of the ice caps, competition among the five nations that border the Arctic Ocean – Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the US -- has been intensifying.
[...]
Looks like the only "Debate" is -- who is going to police all the coming 21st century underwater "Land Claims" -- slated to occur, within all the
"suddenly accessible" Arctic ice-free regions.
"There's 'liquid gold' in them thar waters."
And thanks to the rapidly disappearing Arctic ice sheets, it's just there for the taking -- and the tapping.
90 Billion Barrels of Oil and 1,670 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas Assessed in the Arctic
Released: 7/23/2008
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
The area north of the Arctic Circle has an estimated 90 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil, 1,670 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable natural gas, and 44 billion barrels of technically recoverable natural gas liquids in 25 geologically defined areas thought to have potential for petroleum.
[...]
These resources account for about 22 percent of the undiscovered, technically recoverable resources in the world. The Arctic accounts for about 13 percent of the undiscovered oil, 30 percent of the undiscovered natural gas, and 20 percent of the undiscovered natural gas liquids in the world. About 84 percent of the estimated resources are expected to occur offshore.
[...]
Of the estimated totals, more than half of the undiscovered oil resources are estimated to occur in just three geologic provinces -- Arctic Alaska, the Amerasia Basin, and the East Greenland Rift Basins. On an oil-equivalency basis, undiscovered natural gas is estimated to be three times more abundant than oil in the Arctic. More than 70 percent of the undiscovered natural gas is estimated to occur in three provinces -- the West Siberian Basin, the East Barents Basins, and Arctic Alaska.
[...]
So much so -- are these "resources" becoming available -- that Financial Advice firms are advising their clients to 'take advantage of these brand NEW profitable opportunities."
Arctic oil and gas [pdf]
2013 -- EYGM Limited [Ernst & Young]
ey.com/oilandgas
Introduction
The region above the Arctic Circle accounts for only about 6% of the Earth’s surface area, but it could account for as much as 20% of the world’s undiscovered but recoverable oil and natural gas resources. The existence of hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic has been known for decades, but only in recent years has the opening to full-scale resource development and navigation -- such as the fabled Northwest Passage that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, or the Northern Sea Route that will connect Europe and western Russia with eastern Russia and Asian markets -- become technically and economically feasible.
Only about one-third of the Arctic is covered by land; another third consists of the offshore continental shelf, with waters generally less than 500 meters deep and the remaining third comprises ocean waters, typically deeper than 500 meters. Much (if not most) of the Arctic waters are currently ice-covered for most of the year. However, the polar ice cap has been noticeably receding in recent years, quite possibly as a consequence of global climate change.
[...]
much larger
[in billions of barrels of oil equivalent (boe)]
Recent area activity and perspectives
United States
[...]
Much of the Arctic’s oil and gas resources remain unexplored due to various concerns such as climate change and the impact of development on the Arctic environment. However, some companies are planning to proceed with oil and gas drilling. For example, after a long, arduous process, Royal Dutch Shell has recently received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to drill oil and gas exploration wells in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, and in mid-February 2012, Shell received approval of its spill contingency plan from the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Shell planned to begin drilling in the summer of 2012, but drilling has been postponed to summer 2013. These will be the first offshore wells in the US Arctic region.
[...]
Something is melting the polar ice -- and my guess is,
it's NOT all the Climate Change Deniers 'hot air'!