MPs call for halt to Arctic oil exploration

21st September 2012


Arctic

Related Topics

Related tags

  • Resource extraction ,
  • Energy ,
  • Business & Industry ,
  • Natural resources ,
  • Water

Author

IEMA

Drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic must stop until firms can prove they are able to deal with possible spills, MPs have warned

As scientists confirmed that Arctic ice levels had reached an all-time low, the environmental audit committee has published a report revealing that oil spills in the Arctic could go on for six months under winter ice, causing “catastrophic” and long-term damage to the environment, because there are no clean up plans proven to work in the region.

“The infrastructure to mount a big clean-up operation is simply not in place and conventional oil spill response techniques have not been proven to work in such severe conditions,” said Joan Walley, chair of the committee.

“The oil companies should come clean and admit that dealing with an oil spill in the icy extremes of the Arctic would be exceptionally difficult.”

The report concludes that no drilling should take place until companies’ oil spill response methods have been independently verified as working as well in Arctic conditions as they do in more temperate climates.

The committee calls for all Arctic states to amend national regulation imposing the “highest available environmental standards” on companies wanting to drill in the region, as well as requiring the “best available” technologies.

Before being granted drilling rights, firms must demonstrate that they can afford to clean up any spills that might occur, the report states. And, it recommends the creation of a tough region-wide regime with the authority to impose “preferably unlimited” financial liability for the costs of spills on the drilling companies.

The committee also argues that before any further exploration is undertaken an oil-spill response standard is developed and put in place, and an industry peer group established to review companies’ clean up plans and operating procedures.

The report, “Protecting the Arctic”, also discusses the increasingly obvious impacts climate change is having on the region, and what this will mean for the planet in future. It warns that with the ice cap melting at a record rate “the general view that it is not at risk of a summer collapse in the next few years may need to be revised”.

With significant risks posed by a collapse to both sea-levels and to the amount of methane released into the atmosphere, the committee urges the UK and international governments to reinvigorate their efforts to tackle climate change.

Walley commented: “The shocking speed at which the Arctic sea ice is melting should be a wake-up call to the world that we need to phase out fossil fuels fast.

“Instead we are witnessing a reckless gold rush in this pristine wilderness as big companies and governments make a grab for the world’s last untapped oil and gas reserves.”

The green party’s Caroline Lucas, also a member of the committee, said: “The UK government now has a responsibility to … do all it can to urgently secure a moratorium on Arctic drilling – starting with companies registered in this country.”

The report followed confirmation from Shell that it had halted test drilling at its site in Alaska due to equipment failure, and that it would not be drilling for oil in the region again this year.

Subscribe

Subscribe to IEMA's newsletters to receive timely articles, expert opinions, event announcements, and much more, directly in your inbox.


Transform articles

UK’s CCUS strategy based on outdated assumptions, government warned

The UK government’s carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) strategy is based on optimistic techno-economic assumptions that are now outdated, Carbon Tracker has warned.

13th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s latest Public Attitudes Tracker has found broad support for efforts to tackle climate change, although there are significant concerns that bills will rise.

13th March 2024

Read more

A consortium including IEMA and the Good Homes Alliance have drafted a letter to UK government ministers expressing disappointment with the proposed Future Homes Standard.

26th February 2024

Read more

Global corporations such as Amazon and Google purchased a record 46 gigawatts (GW) of solar and wind energy last year, according to BloombergNEF (BNEF).

13th February 2024

Read more

Three-quarters of UK adults are concerned about the impact that climate change will have on their bills, according to polling commissioned by Positive Money.

13th February 2024

Read more

The reality of delivering net zero is that we need solutions tailored to specific areas. Peter Gudde explores models that local authorities could adopt

15th January 2024

Read more

Heat pump installations in UK homes increased by nearly a fifth last year, with over 200,000 now having been installed across the country.

11th January 2024

Read more

Last year was the warmest ever recorded, surpassing the previous annual high set in 2016 by a large margin, scientists have confirmed today.

9th January 2024

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert

IEMA Cookie Notice

Clicking the ‘Accept all’ button means you are accepting analytics and third-party cookies. Our website uses necessary cookies which are required in order to make our website work. In addition to these, we use analytics and third-party cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. To control which cookies are set, click ‘Settings’. To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our website and how to change your cookie settings please view our cookie policy.

Manage cookie settings

Our use of cookies

You can learn more detailed information in our cookie policy.

Some cookies are essential, but non-essential cookies help us to improve the experience on our site by providing insights into how the site is being used. To maintain privacy management, this relies on cookie identifiers. Resetting or deleting your browser cookies will reset these preferences.

Essential cookies

These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.

Analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to tailor advertising to you based on your interests. If you do not accept these cookies, you will still see adverts, but these will be more generic.

Save and close