WikiLeaks Documents Hint of Slick Plans for Arctic Oil

Leaked documents reveal behind-the-scenes maneuvering efforts for control of Arctic oil fields

May 26, 2011 RSS Feed Print

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The documents also show substantial jockeying for access to Arctic resources. One shows that the U.S. believes that Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, will be independent soon and is wooing Greenlanders to make it easy for American companies to explore there.

Another showed that Canada has warned other NATO countries to stay away from Arctic exploration. "They don't belong," the documents quote Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper as saying. Harper made the Arctic a signature campaign issue.

According to the documents, the Bush administration set up a dialog with the Chinese, a 10-year framework to discuss energy and the environment. The two countries also agreed to hold a "Strategic and Economic Dialogue"—secret backroom talks to coordinate efforts.

When the Obama administration came to power, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton went to China, and, according to the documents, agreed to form a new partnership to guarantee that the Copenhagen accords met the demands of the two countries.

"On a day-to-day basis, there is not a whole lot of difference between the Bush and the Obama administrations," said Kyle Ash, senior legislative representative to Greenpeace. "The Obama administration is clearly not in climate denial or in denial about the U.S. role. They don't feel they have the political backing at home or internationally, so what they are doing is stalling."

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Tags:: energy,; Arctic,; oil

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Every single year the estimates are closed up a little more, but never enough. Every single year following they are "surprised" that its all warming faster than last years estimate. But they all miss the most important point... Food Production. You can't grow crops in a destabilized environment.
By the time New York is under water in a 100 years, it won't matter. The population will have been so much reduced no one will need the buildings any more. Russia lost 30 percent of its grain last year due to heat. Just a few more degree days and the loss would have been 90 percent. Those degree days will appear in the next few years. Almost everyone reading this will see widespread famine and death in their lifetime. Indeed, it will be the cause of death of most of them.
Dan Pride

Dan Pride of ME 1:11PM June 04, 2011

great article overall although I think you should edit it more often, and check your facts.
"notably one American diplomat warning that "while in the Arctic there is peace and stability, however, one cannot exclude that in the future there will be a redistribution of power, up to armed intervention."
It was not an American diplomat being quoted, but Russian Navy head Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky. Many other people who have written an article on it, my self included managed to pick up on that little detail but apparently you did not. I don't see how you could've managed to confuse "American diplomat" with a Russian Navy head.

Anna 4:18AM May 31, 2011

‘Sen. John Kerry, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, told China's Vice Prime Minister Li Keqiang that the U.S. understood "China's resistance to accepting mandatory targets" at Copenhagen’
Et tu, Brute? Both political parties in the U.S. are so beholden to business interests, it is really quite sickening. The fear is that restriction of the free flow of fossil fuels will lead to decreased economic growth. It's easy to see, most companies are not satisfied with stable growth, but more and more growth, as otherwise they get many complaints from dissatisfied shareholders. Kerry's wife is very wealthy, many in Congress are, or will be after their stint with the government.
To hell with the environment, say those with lots of wealth, we’ll just move to higher ground. Anyone else wonder what New York City and Miami are going to look like in 100 years? Underwater is what I hear.

Tim B of WA 1:45AM May 29, 2011

WikiLeaks Documents Hint of Slick Plans for Arctic Oil

Leaked documents reveal behind-the-scenes maneuvering efforts for control of Arctic oil fields

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WikiLeaks Documents Hint of Slick Plans for Arctic Oil

Leaked documents reveal behind-the-scenes maneuvering efforts for control of Arctic oil fields

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