10/3 MockMun Study Guide

Topic: Grab for resources in the Arctic

■ Introduction
Global warming is getting worse and worse these years. The ice cover in the Arctic is becoming thinner and thinner simultaneously. The inhabitants in this area like polar bears, seals and walruses have already become endangered species due to the tremendous climate change. Not only animals but also the plants and indigenous people are facing a big danger to exist. However, the impact the melting ice made on human could be beneficial for it became easier to explore the region’s potentially valuable natural resources- oil and gas reserves. In some way, natural resources symbolize profits and therefore countries around the Arctic are all about to launch a battle to grab the oil and gas. It appears that a new problem emerges: the militarization in the Arctic. What harm will do on the environment of the Arctic when the military bases station in the region? Will the Arctic facing the ecological risk eventually?

■ the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

However, the only effective international treaty UN made that regulates territorial claims in this region is the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Upon its ratification, a country gains rights to a 200-mile economic zone beyond its land borders, which gives extraction and drilling rights. The 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea gives each of the five Arctic nations -- Canada, the United States, Russia, Denmark and Norway -- 10 years after their ratification of the treaty to map out the Arctic seabed. However, everyone country has its own definition of the land they exercise sovereignty. The problem hasn’t been solved yet.

■ The Arctic Council

The Arctic Council was first established in 1996. There are eight members, including Canada, Russia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the United States, Sweden and Finland. The latest meeting held recently was on May 12, 2011 in Nuuk, Greenland. The ministers of foreign affairs from these eight countries and the indigenous inhabitants gathered and discussed about the rules of fishery, tourism, drilling of the oil and gas in the Arctic. There is a treaty signed by the members in the end of the meeting, which is the first treaty that is binding since the establishment of the council. According to a survey, the Arctic could hold up to 25% of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas reserves. How to “distribute” the resources fairly becomes a big issue.

Questions that must be answered:

1. What impact will make on the Arctic when some military weapons and personnel station in the Arctic region?

2. According to international law, the Arctic doesn’t belong to any country, but owned by the international community. Does any country except for those eight countries has the right to “share” the resources in the Arctic too?

3. Which should be prioritized in your country’s position? The environmental protection or the economical benefits?

Recommended links:

1. UN Convention on the Law of the Sea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea

2. Arctic Council

http://www.arctic-council.org/

4. The Economist: Arctic Resources

http://www.economist.com/node/18277141