EU wants to ban oil, gas and coal exploration in the Arctic
The EU wants to persuade countries such as Russia and Norway to abandon the extraction of oil, gas and coal in the Arctic.
The EU wants to persuade countries such as Russia and Norway to abandon the extraction of oil, gas and coal in the Arctic in the future.
Multilateral agreement planned
To achieve this goal, the European Commission will push for a multilateral agreement that prohibits the exploitation of untapped reserves. In addition, such an agreement could bar companies from purchasing raw materials extracted in spite of the ban.
Reserves currently being exploited are in high demand in the EU. According to a study report, 87% of the liquefied natural gas produced in the Russian Arctic was recently exported to the EU.
The Arctic is warming three times faster
One reason cited for the initiative is the danger of new environmental disasters. Due to the weather conditions prevailing in the Arctic, there is a «particular difficulty in taking emergency and clean-up measures in the event of industrial or maritime accidents», according to the communiqué issued by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the European Commission.
«The region is warming three times as fast as the rest of the planet», said EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius in Brussels.
The tipping point for irreversible global warming may already have been reached, said scientist Markus Rex, who led the largest expedition to the Arctic to date.
As the ice in the Arctic melts so rapidly, it is becoming difficult for polar bears to find food. Last July, scientists declared that climate change is driving polar bears to extinction.
Whether there is a chance of persuading countries like Russia to make a legally binding commitment to abandon the extraction of fossil fuels in the Arctic is currently considered unclear. In favour of this is the fact that the European market is very important to the country, and a potential EU import ban on Arctic gas could call into question investments in the development of new deposits.
The EU plans to open an office in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, in order to strengthen its regional presence.
