An oil spill in the Arctic Ocean would be a huge catastrophe. The climatic conditions in the area would make a clean-up practically impossible and an entire ecosystem would be at risk.
NGOs and Inuit communities have been militating for decades for an oil-free Arctic. By the end of 2016, their work showed great results when Obama and Trudeau jointly announced the creation of protected areas. The Canadian government added a 50,500 square miles ocean reserve that will more than double their protected water area, while America will protect permanently “millions of acres” permanently, as reported by Pacific Environment, the NGO that led the project in the US.
Fuel and mineral extraction is to be permanently banned in the area, while shipping by fuel-powered supertankers is to be progressively phased out. Avoidance areas are to be put in place to avoid spills that would endanger the rich Arctic wildlife as well as the Inuit lifestyle.
The seals, narwhals, polar bears, belugas and whales populating these waters can now hope for a better day, even if there is still a lot to do to enforce those measures.
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