Greenpeace Rattles an Oil Rig Off Greenland

Staff / Truthdig Jun 5, 2011 U.K.-based Cairn Energy suspended deep-water drilling operations on a platform off the southwest coast of Greenland after Greenpeace activists boarded the rig to demand the release of the company's unpublished oil spill response plan. (more) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Gets Cold Feet in Arctic Drilling

Staff / Truthdig Sep 4, 2010 With all of the hullabaloo surrounding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the government's lackluster performance in responding to that crisis, U.S. regulatory agencies have waved the yellow flag in allowing new offshore drilling in the Arctic. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Richard Shelton on Arctic Exploitation

BLANK Jul 2, 2010 Is it too much to hope that a region once revered by its native people will be respected by those who now seek its riches? Three recent books delve into the matter.Three recent books look at a region that once was an object of reverence and now is a target of capitalists and others. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Fighting a Shell Game in the Arctic

Staff / Truthdig Jan 24, 2010 A legal challenge by environmental and indigenous Alaskan groups may dampen Shell Oil's chances of drilling for billions of barrels of oil in the U.S. portion of the Arctic's Chukchi Sea. It's feared the controversial plan could spell disaster for endangered species as well as increase global warming. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Arctic Has Lost Enough Ice to Cover Texas

Staff / Truthdig Apr 7, 2009 Although this wasn't the worst winter on record for retention of Arctic sea ice, a report from NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center says that the region is now missing a Texas-sized chunk of the stuff that keeps polar bears alive and cities above sea level. More alarming, the ice that is there is younger, thinner and more fragile than in years past. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Predicted Rise in Sea Levels May Be Way Short

Staff / Truthdig Mar 11, 2009 A team of researchers has found that sea levels could rise up to three times higher over the next century than U.N. estimates have indicated. The findings have dire implications for the 600 million people who live in vulnerable areas. Scientists gathered in Denmark said they expect polar and glacial melting to accelerate. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Arctic Oil

Cameron Cardow / Truthdig Jul 29, 2008 Dig deeper

Politicizing the Polar Bear

By Richard Ellis Jul 1, 2008 More than any other mammal (except of course Mr. Homo sapiens), Ursus maritimus, which translates as maritime bear, has been in the forefront of the news lately, the subject of television specials, lawsuits, congressional debates, and New York Times editorials. Why? Dig deeper ( 19 Min. Read )

Polar Bears ‘Threatened’

Staff / Truthdig May 15, 2008 The plight of the polar bear has come to represent the real-world impact of the climate crisis, so it is only fitting that the Bush administration had to be ordered by a court to make a decision on the endangered status of the species. After years of delay, the Interior Department finally classified the animal as threatened, but also promised to fight any meaningful protection. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

UK Joins Grab for Polar Territories

Staff / Truthdig Oct 17, 2007 While Russia is leading the race to claim the North Pole for itself, Britain has decided to expand its territory on the other end of the world, in Antarctica. The British Foreign Office says it has no immediate plans for the additional 1,000 square miles of seabed, but simply wishes to "safeguard for the future." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Arctic Land Grab Update: Russia Claims Victory

Staff / Truthdig Sep 21, 2007 Russian officials say they have proof to back up Moscow's claim to the north pole -- and nearly half a million square miles of neutral Arctic territory -- but don't expect Denmark, Canada and the U.S. to go down without a fight. It's all part of a nakedly opportunistic attempt to cash in on energy resources made available by global warming and melting ice caps. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Not So Fast, Putin

Staff / Truthdig Aug 11, 2007 For years the North Pole has been considered international territory, and that seemed to suit everyone just fine until global warming came along, making it theoretically easier to extract oil and gas from the region. The Russians kicked off the land grab by planting an underwater flag, and now Denmark is launching a similar expedition. Canada, Norway and the U.S. also have territory disputes in the Arctic. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )