Arctic shipping routes 'a cause for concern'

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

20 Nov 2008

The economic benefits of an ice-free northern ocean are causing "a dangerous indifference to the whole issue of climate change," UK Government advisor Nick Mabey said this week. The melting of the icecaps in the Arctic has opened potential for shipping and oil exploration in the area. The Northwest Passage will allow a shortcut for vessels  sailing between Europe to China, saving the shipping industry billions of dollars a year, according to Scott G. Borgerson, author of Arctic Meltdown. Countries around the Arctic Ocean will benefit commercially, Borgerson noted.
This has raised concern that those countries could become complacent over pollution control measures.
Russia "stands to reap an economic bonanza from ice-free northern oceans," a report in The Australian said this week, adding that, "Russia has taken a backseat role in negotiations about a new treaty to fight global warming."
"The situation is especially dangerous because there are currently no overarching political or legal structures that can provide for the orderly development of the region or mediate political disagreements over Arctic resources or sea-lanes," said Borgerson.
Borgerson believes that the ideal way to manage the Arctic would be to develop an overarching treaty that guarantees an orderly and collective approach to extracting the region's wealth.
"There is no reason that economic development and environmental stewardship cannot go hand in hand," Borgerson concluded.

Source: Sustainable Shipping