Is it true there are oil reserves in the Arctic Ocean?
The problem posed by energy today is prompting us to ask ourselves whether there could be oil reserves in places on Earth we have not yet been to.
It is true that in the Arctic Ocean, off the various coastlines, 100, 200, 300 kilometres out to sea, beyond territorial waters, there is a possibility that we can extract and use the oil that is beneath the seabed. Exploration is going on now to see whether these fossil fuels can be used in the future so as to continue as we have before.
This is one of the great dilemmas facing the Polar Regions, both in the Antarctic, of course, and in the Arctic.
We have to realise that it is dangerous to use the oil from the Arctic and to want to extract it at all costs. This is clear when you are aware of the problem concerning the disappearing sea ice in Polar Regions and when you know that the Polar Regions play a very important role in regulating our planet's climate. It is a question of choice in our society. We hold the future in our hands. If you want to go on living like before "foot flat to the floor, as it were" and not ask yourself any questions, then there is no doubt that oil drilling in the Arctic will be carried through. But if you hold back and are a little wiser about things, you will see that it is not the right solution. What really counts is to have a whole range of energy sources available, to develop new technologies and to completely change the way our society is organised so as to use energy differently.
