by asdf
Tue Aug 23rd, 2005 at 09:47:03 AM EST
A spat between Canada and Denmark is developing over an uninhabited rock called Hans Island in the eastern Arctic region. A visit there by Canada's defence minister last month angered the Danes. Canada believes it has territorial sovereignty over parts of the Arctic where borders haven't been negotiated in the past.
The US has already said it regards the passage near the island as an international strait, not Canadian waters. Russia, Norway and Denmark also have competing claims in the artic.
Why is this suddenly so important?
Oil, man, oil!
We're into the end game, where rising crude oil prices make scarce petroleum in remote areas economically worthwhile. Because of global warming, areas in the arctic that were previously isolated are becoming open sea that makes shipborne exploration practical.
This development exposes shortcomings in international treaties extending back over a century, treaties in which borders in the arctic weren't clearly defined. Expect more excitement in this area--and in the Antarctic--as the price of oil continues its gradual, inexorable rise.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4175446.stm
