Nenvironmental costs of oil exploration in the arctic books

Topics covered in this book include a brief historical background of arctic oil and gas. Denmark through greenland has not been a major player in. Most of the oil comes from the north slope, referring to the land adjacent. The period of arctic exploration covers almost 2500 years, starting with the greek, pytheas of massalia marseilles in 320 b.

The vast arctic region is probably the last remaining unexplored source of hydrocarbons on the planet. According to arctic power, an organization devoted to oil. The 10 licences were issued in 2016 to explore the barents sea above the arctic. Environmental damage, abandoned treaties, and fossilfuel. Offshore hydrocarbon resources in the arctic february 2016 6. The coming costs of oilandgas exploration in the 1002 area of the arctic national wildlife refuge authors benjamin k. An overview of issues and management approaches oil industry international exploration and production forum unepearthprint, 1997 environmental management 68 pages. Ice roads and an ice airstrip have to be constructed.

A history of oil in the arctic climate interpreter. Polar exploration in the arctic and antarctic weareteachers. The dangers of arctic oil greenpeace international. The arctics extreme weather and freezing temperatures, its remote location and the presence of moving sea ice severely increase the risks of oil drilling, complicate logistics and present unparalleled. Norway plans record number of arctic oil exploration blocks. Most experts believe that copious amounts of oil and natural gas lie deep below the arctic. The question of cost is also a big one not least because the logistics of installing an oil well in freezing conditions are incredibly challenging. Disappearing arctic sea ice is seen as a huge opportunity for an energy. Data from alaska will give an indication of exploration costs in the arctic 9. Being the top oil consuming country in the world, the u. For norway, natural gas exploration in the barents sea is crucial to maintain current levels of production in the future. Final environmental impact statement and preliminary final regulations by u.

The earliest references to arctic exploration are shrouded in obscurity as a result both of inaccurate ideas of the shape of the earth and of primitive navigation techniques, which make it difficult to interpret early maps and accounts of voyages. This book provides an overview of the many issues relevant to offshore oil and gas development in the arctic. A history of oil in the arctic today in alaska, the vast majority of oil from the states arctic region comes from onshore drilling wells. The technology and the alaskan oil context, otae394 washington, dc. Issn 87585x full text not available from this repository. The environmental impacts of offshore oil drilling soapboxie. A significant incentive for oil exploration, albeit on less favourable terms since 20. Theres no climatesafe future that involves drilling in the arctic ocean.

Exploration costs are usually incurred for an extended period of up to five years before production. The 800mile system links northern alaska to the rest of the world. The issuing of oil exploration licences breached a constitutional right to a healthy environment, the groups said. What are the challenges of drilling for oil in the arctic. Environmental management in oil and gas exploration and production. The 800mile system links northern alaska to the rest of the. May 03, 2017 despite industry optimism, arctic drilling remains controversial in norway, a country of 5. Its fragile ecosystem is particularly vulnerable to an oil spill and the consequences of an accident would have a profound effect on the environment and. Although imported oil drives up oil costs, drilling and oil exploration in anwrs harsh tundra environment is also costly. Environmentalists lose arctic exploration case bbc. Most of the oil comes from the north slope, referring to the land adjacent to the chukchi and beaufort seas down to the brooks mountain range the area of land depicted on the map above.

Norway has awarded 24 oil and gas exploration licenses, most located in the arctic barents sea, as it tries to encourage development of oil reserves in its northern regions, however analysts are. October 2014 the prospects and challenges for arctic oil development 2 between arctic states will be prerequisites for success. Norway has infuriated environmental groups by opening up a record number of blocks in the arctic for oil exploration. The exploration for oil in the arctic over the past 30 years has had profound effects. Shell submits a plan for new exploration of alaskan arctic oil. An oil industry consortium including exxon and bp has suspended its canadian arctic exploration program in the beaufort sea, citing insufficient time to begin test drilling before its lease. The exploration of the arctic for petroleum is considered to be extremely technically challenging. The oil ministry is offering 93 blocks in the barents sea, entirely in the. Pdf assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the arctic. The report called for a moratorium on arctic oil and gas drilling, and. The united states geological survey estimates that over 87% of the arctics oil and natural gas resource about 360 billion barrels oil equivalent is located in seven. Until about the 1970s or 1980s, most oil wells were vertical, but reservoirs of underground crude oil, called hydrocarbons, tend to be horizontal. Ultimate resources are estimated at 114 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 2000 trillion cubic feet of natural.

These arctic explorers and their books are the real northpolar stars, according to john r. The 10 licences were issued in 2016 to explore the barents sea above. Oil companies say falling production costs will help. Offshore oil and gas development in the arctic under international law. When i started research on the eskimo and the oil man a book following the battle over offshore oil in the rapidly opening u. However, recent technological developments, as well as relatively high oil prices, have allowed for. Congress, office of technology assessment,oil production in the arctic national wildlife refuge. This represents % of the undiscovered oil in the world. Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the arctic article pdf available in science 3245931. Denmark through greenland has not been a major player in hydrocarbon development.

Unfortunately, his writings have been lost and there is much speculation as to whether pytheas voyaged to iceland, the shetlands, or possibly. Offshore oil and gas development in the arctic under international. The environmental damage and the harm to the local economy caused by the recent deepwater horizon spill in the gulf of mexico illustrate the environmental and economic risks of offshore oil drilling. Download a pdf of cumulative environmental effects of oil and gas activities. Oil magazine, an energy industry quarterly, devoted the whole of its march 20 issue to arctic energy exploration. The book makes recommendations for further environmental research related to. Since the onset of the 2010s oil glut in 2014, the commercial interest in arctic exploration has declined. The plans for nominating so many arctic exploration blocks come as greenpeace is suing norway over the previous, 23rd, licensing round, for oil companies to drill in the arctic barents sea. The impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic peace. Environmental management in oil and gas exploration and. The natural history of an arctic oil field 1st edition elsevier. According to arctic power, an organization devoted to oil exploration in the arctic national wildlife refuge, horizontal drilling techniques have revolutionized the drilling process in the region. The coming costs of oilandgas exploration in the 1002 area of the arctic national wildlife refuge. Oil exploration in the alaska national wildlife refuge.

Why environmentalists should support oil exploration. Shell submits a plan for new exploration of alaskan arctic oil shells arctic challenger at the port of bellingham in washington. Despite this, tullow oil accepted to buy a 40% stake in an exploration block in the. In this blog i will give a summary of the history of arctic drilling and i will also discuss. The nearest response stations to arctic drilling sites are located thousands of miles away. Cumulative environmental effects of oil and gas activities on. High commodity prices is of course met due to the rise of crude oil prices and continued investment in drilling technologies. May 18, 2015 arctic oil represents a growing portion of the worlds oil usage. Cameron on august 28, 2015 leave a comment in july 2015 the obama administration has given royal dutch shell plc approval to begin with limited exploratory oil drilling off alaskas northwest coast, in the chukchi sea. Additionally, the impacts of hydrocarbon releases in the marine environment. Norway court backs arctic oil exploration bbc news. Arctic oil represents a growing portion of the worlds oil usage.

Despite industry optimism, arctic drilling remains controversial in norway, a country of 5. Why environmentalists should support oil exploration in. This is likely to be prohibitive for most companies in the current climate, with some analysts predicting that the price of crude could drop in the medium term. Exxon mobil, bp suspend canadian arctic exploratory drilling. The impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic by e. Arctic offshore exploration is a priority for shell. Jan 04, 2018 the issuing of oil exploration licences breached a constitutional right to a healthy environment, the groups said. Proposed oil and gas exploration within the coastal plain of. The earliest references to arctic exploration are shrouded in obscurity as a result both of inaccurate ideas of the shape of the earth and of primitive navigation. However, recent technological developments, as well as relatively high oil prices, have allowed for exploration. Oil exploration in norwegian arctic faces sea of opposition. Cameron on august 28, 2015 leave a comment in july 2015 the obama administration has given royal dutch shell plc approval to begin with limited. Although we are all aware of the effects of oil on seabirds, oil is also extremely toxic to marine life see pew trusts the future of oil and water.

Sovacool, benjamin k 2007 environmental damage, abandoned treaties, and fossilfuel dependence. As royal dutch shell and other oil companies prepare to drill offshore in the alaskan outer continental shelf ocs, a new report commissioned by the washington, dcbased pew environment group concludes current response capabilities arent adequate to contain and clean up a major spill in the area. The united states geological survey estimates that over 87% of the arctic s oil and natural gas resource about 360 billion barrels oil equivalent is located in seven arctic basin provinces. Places resource use conflict in an arctic context fishing vs. Polar exploration in the arctic and antarctic by guest blogger joann wasik at recently, i read a harrowing account of a doomed 1912 arctic expedition, where a ship seeking new hunting. The bureau of safety and environmental enforcement bsee and the bureau of. Jan 20, 2017 trans alaska pipeline, once the symbol of energy independence for an oil strapped nation, is now on the verge of obsolescence. Proposed oil and gas exploration within the coastal plain of the arctic national wildlife refuge, alaska. Arctic oil the cost is just too high seeking alpha. An overview of issues and management approaches oil industry international exploration and production forum unepearthprint. Big oil may finally get to drill in the arctic, but is it. Environmental damage, abandoned treaties, and fossilfuel dependence. The three factors that would make the exploration of arctic reserves attractive to oil and gas companies are high commodity prices and technological feasibility, coupled with favorable. Arctic marine sustainability arctic maritime businesses and the.

Amerasian basin, arctic alaska basin, east barents basin, east greenland rift basin, west greenlandeast canada basin, west siberian basin, and the yenisey. On one hand are high costs, questions over technology, competition from other. May 30, 2012 when i started research on the eskimo and the oil man a book following the battle over offshore oil in the rapidly opening u. As royal dutch shell and other oil companies prepare to drill offshore in the alaskan outer continental shelf ocs, a new report commissioned by the washington, dcbased pew environment group. At the same time, environmental risks and popular opposition to oil and gas. The city of barow, the most northerly city in the us, is ground zero for the world. Arctic oil drilling plans raise environmental health concerns. High investment costs, risk of wildcat and investment timing substantial investment costs at exploration phase constitute another characteristic in the petroleum industry. As a result, the region has received significant interest from the petroleum industry. Shell plans to drill for oil just off the north coast of alaska, pulling the detonator on a carbon bomb.

This book explores issues such as oil vulnerability of marine birds, black carbon emissions from vessels, resilience of marine ecosystems to climate change impacts. The impact of offshore oil drilling in the arctic peace palace library. Drilling in the arctic what is the environmental impact. Probably the first to approach the arctic regions was a greek, pytheas, who in the 4th century bce made a. Oct 02, 20 oil magazine, an energy industry quarterly, devoted the whole of its march 20 issue to arctic energy exploration. Elizabeth tedsen, researcher, attended the visionary arctic 2012 conference in kirkenes norway, where she presented on the environmental and social risks. Oil and natural gas resources map of the arctic ocean. Norway opens up record 93 blocks for arctic oil exploration. In overcoming the technical challenges of oil production in the arctic, are we making the most of a strategic resource or heading for an environmental and political minefield. Opponents of offshore oil drilling claim that one oil rig can dump more than 90,000 metric tons of drilling fluid and metal cuttings into the ocean over its lifetime data from culture change. Trans alaska pipeline, once the symbol of energy independence for an oilstrapped nation, is now on the verge of obsolescence. The reason for this is that the arctic is estimated to have % of the worlds unproven reserves but just produces roughly 1% of. Disappearing arctic sea ice is seen as a huge opportunity for an energy industry. The prospects and challenges for arctic oil development.

Sep 07, 2017 oil companies say falling production costs will help. Jun 21, 2017 norway has infuriated environmental groups by opening up a record number of blocks in the arctic for oil exploration. The arctic s extreme weather and freezing temperatures, its remote location and the presence of moving sea ice severely increase the risks of oil drilling, complicate logistics and present unparalleled difficulties for any cleanup operation. For the sake of the people and animals that call the arctic homenot to mention the global climatewe must keep offshore oil in the ground for good.

Dec 30, 2014 the three factors that would make the exploration of arctic reserves attractive to oil and gas companies are high commodity prices and technological feasibility, coupled with favorable environmental conditions. Exxon mobil, bp suspend canadian arctic exploratory. Topics covered in this book include a brief historical background of arctic oil and gas development. A 2008 united states geological survey estimates that areas north of the arctic circle have 90 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids in 25 geologically defined areas thought to have potential for petroleum. Aug 29, 2014 shell submits a plan for new exploration of alaskan arctic oil shells arctic challenger at the port of bellingham in washington. The arcticenvironmental protection strategy aeps, a soft law framework for. Its not just the environment that sparks debate about oil drilling in the arctic. Proposed oil and gas exploration within the coastal plain. Shell has prepared plans to resume drilling in arctic waters off.