What’s Shaking in the Arctic?
If I asked you to tell me what was happening in the arctic, you might respond that it’s melting–and you wouldn’t be wrong. Yet what’s happening in addition to that is just as positive as the region’s melting is alarming.
As reported in this article: Norway refuses to drill for billions of barrels of oil in the Arctic, leaving ‘whole industry surprised and disappointed’, The largest party in Norway’s parliament has delivered a significant blow to the country’s huge oil industry after withdrawing support for exploratory drilling off the Lofoten Islands in the Arctic (pictured), which are considered a natural wonder. The move, by the opposition Labour party, creates a large parliamentary majority against oil exploration in the sensitive offshore area, illustrating growing opposition to the polluting fossil fuels, which has made the country one of the world’s most affluent.
It’s just one more playing out of the age-old battle between what is right versus big money.
What makes this interesting is that each episode of the drama has a different ending; one never knows how it’s going to turn out, and for how long the victor will prevail.
Generally speaking, big money has several important advantages, e.g., strong organizational skills, public relations dollars, and inertia, i.e., once a pristine area becomes an oil field, the process is very hard to reverse.
The only thing going for the environmentalists is their sheer numbers. The vast majority of the Earth’s 7.7 billion people have a strong feeling of attachment to clean water and air, and thus a native repulsion for forces that would exploit the planet for personal gain.
Game on.
Craig,
What a outpouring of passion and noble sentiment!
How evil are those oil companies and how much people hate them.
Hmmmmm, ‘cept, there always one cynic in the corner who notices something slightly askew with your passionate outburst.
If everyone hates the oil companies and their evil products, how come they still enthusiastically use the products?
On course this includes even residents of enlightened affluent locations like Santa Barbara, like yourself, who fill up at the gas station and drive to the Woodstock remembrance festival!
Don’t you feel a twinge of hypocrisy as you drive past the Nissan Leaf and Tesla showrooms?
In your case, it would appear “what is right versus big money”, is more a case of “what I preach is right, versus what I actually do”.
With oil prices so low and oil so plentiful, the development of an expensive new oil field isn’t a number one economic priority for Statoil. As soon as oil prices increase or oil flow from other fields diminishes, it will be a different story.