Reserves 10 times the North Sea’s output raise fears over drilling in protected region
Russia has found vast oil and gas reserves in the Antarctic, much of it in areas claimed by the UK.
The surveys are a prelude to bringing in drilling rigs to exploit the pristine region for fossil fuels, MPs have warned.
Reserves totalling 511bn barrels of oil – about 10 times the North Sea’s entire 50-year output – have been reported to Moscow by Russian research ships, according to evidence given to the Commons Environment Audit Committee (EAC) last week.
It follows a series of surveys by the Alexander Karpinsky vessel, operated by Rosgeo – the Russian agency charged with finding mineral reserves for commercial exploitation.
Antarctica is meant to be protected by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty that bans all mineral or oil developments. The UK’s interests are overseen by the Foreign Office – but it has been accused of ignoring the emerging crisis.
Why are people doing resource exploration in protected areas? >___>
Capitalism demands it
😔
Is Russia capitalist?
For over 30 years
Lol yes they’ve been turbo capitalist for some time now
You have to understand “capitalist” in this case means “I’m in high school and someone looks greedy”.
Like, there’s nuance and then there’s “everyone who is not an anarcho-socialist-utopian-solar-punk-revolutionary is a capitalist”.
And I say this totally not defending capitalism, I’m just smart enough to see a difference between “fisher-price my first socialism” vs reality…
Having a greedy oligarchy isn’t capitalism, it can be just as bad if not worse but the idea things being different is lost on these folks… if you are going to argue that Putin taking everything for himself is just Russia being “capitalist” then you are literally telling the world “I can see lots of trees, but no forest…”
The Soviet Union was – claimed to be – communist. That is not the case for Russia.
Much like China now has incorporated many capitalist systems.
No shit. Doesn’t make them capitalists and it doesn’t make a mob boss the monopoly man. Regardless of “systems” I wouldn’t call China capitalist nor Russia and comparing them to or claiming them as such wouldn’t be accurate or even helpful really.
It’s not helpful in assessing current context or motive. But yea let’s just call em all capitalist…
So a state and oligarchs amassing capital isn’t capitalism but monopolic corporations amassing capital is?
Makes you feel better? So changing groups totally makes it all okay?
No communist in America is a communist. They all want to be communist (wannabe communist, like wannabe badasses), but they are not. You are what you eat.
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Yeah they should have never been allowed to search there in the first place.
what’s 500 billion times $78?
Yeah, fuck it, ima go ahead and just say it:
The US should lead a vast effort by the West (broadly construed to include allies like Australia, Japan, etc.) to deploy all covert means and significant overt means, short of a shooting war, to destabilize and ultimately destroy the russian state.
Fuck russia. A million times over, then once more, for good measure, fuck russia.
Macron, Scholz: it is going to be on you to lead if the most fucktarded of my compatriots succeed in their “real men wear diapers” campaign. FFS.
russia is a cancer on the entire world.
I’m not saying it’s a bad move, but that won’t stop drilling.
The effort should be aimed at destroying the oil industry.
deploy all covert means and significant overt means, short of a shooting war, to destabilize and ultimately destroy the russian state.
While they kind of maybe wanted that, they fear all the nukes getting to worse hands than they already are right now. At least Putin is sane enough to not use them, but more extreme leader might.
Mfw u say Russia is cancer but USA isn’t
That feeling when you’re so brain fucked by the cold war actions of the U.S that the Authoritarian reactionary hellscape is good apparently.
Pay no mind to the effect this will have on climate change if they decided to plunder this crap
areas claimed by the UK.
Due to Antarctic treaties, the claim should be effectively inoperative as long as the UK is a member, and Russia shouldn’t be extracting mineral resources as long as Russia is a member.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by 12 nations and came into effect in the mid-1960s. The central ideas with full acceptance were the freedom of scientific research in Antarctica and the peaceful use of the continent. There was also a consensus for demilitarization and the maintenance of the status quo. The treaty prohibits nuclear testing, military operations, economic exploitation, and territorial claims in Antarctica. It is monitored through on-site inspections. The only permanent structures allowed are scientific research stations. The original signatory countries hold voting rights on Antarctic governance, with seven of them claiming portions of the continent and the remaining five being non-claimants. Other nations have joined as consultative members by conducting significant research in Antarctica. Non-consultative parties can also adhere to the treaty. In 1991-1992, the treaty was renegotiated by 33 nations, with the main change being the Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection, which prohibited mining and oil exploration for 50 years.[13]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_on_Environmental_Protection_to_the_Antarctic_Treaty
Article 7 prohibits any activity relating to mineral resources, other than scientific research.
oh boy here comes the war
If we were to burn another 500 billion barrels of oil, it would be game over for the planet.
you have to start thinking quarterly. Imagine the quarterly profits
Screw the planet, just think of all the profit. ~ Oil exes probably
is it possible they found none but seek a way to attract investments ?
Aren’t Russian speakers opressed in the British antartic territories?
Tally ho, time for the RN to sail to
the FalklandsAntarctica!You pretty much had it right the first time. The Falklands would likely be used as a staging area, being the closest British or allied territory to the part of Antarctica in question.
True, although with Milei being as unpredictable as he is, maybe he’d offer a port for this venture.
Why do they care? They want solar panels and wind turbines. Fossil fuels are killing people.
Russia is happy with a warmer world. Their land will become more temperate, they’ll get a shipping passage up north. And of course the oligarchy will get richer. Gazprom their state owned and run oil and gas companies is one of Russia’s main economic drivers.
You clearly have Russia confused with somebody else. Russia has some of the biggest natural gas operations on earth, and they’re the largest exporter of oil.
Why do “they”, the British, care?
Ah, good question. They haven’t make any statements afaik. If they cooperated in extracting it then they’ll probably sell it like they would with any other commodity, Russia doesn’t really have any claim to the resources or territory even if their people discovered the deposit.
