Arctic threats: shipping

Sea otter at rehabilitation centre in Valdez after Exxon Valdez oil spill. Photo: Greenpeace/Merjenburgh

Impacts of Opening New Sea Routes

As the decline in Arctic sea ice opens historically closed routes such as the Northwest and Northeast Passages, questions arise regarding security and safety.

This new access to shipping routes and potential for oil extraction bring increasing risk of environmental degradation caused by these activities.

One obvious concern is oil spills and other industrial accidents. 

It is clear from studies and experience that the effects of oil spills in a high-latitude, cold ocean environment last much longer and are far worse than in other areas. 

Oil spill clean-up is rarely effective but in the Arctic conditions any clean-up attempt at all will be impossible for much of the year due to extreme darkness, temperature and solid or broken ice conditions.