Arctic Ocean Oil Spill Essay

Drilling offshore in the Arctic Ocean at the north of Alaska represents a complex case study that involves community, animals and the environment. In 2008, the United States Geological Survey predicted that the north side of the Arctic Ocean contains 90 billion barrels of undiscovered, potentially recoverable oil (Beilinson). When the United States government initially allowed Royal Dutch Shell to drill offshore at the Arctic Ocean, into the waters of Chukchi and Beaufort seas, environmentalists and community living near the area raised objections. Their objection is based on the environmental impact of incidence such as oil spills. Cleaning any oil spill is almost impossible in the extremely cold weather (Struzik). To add to the issue, the oil spill vessel suitable for the cold weather was not ready when the company was close to start operating in the Arctic Ocean. This makes offshore drilling in the Arctic Ocean more dangerous than normal onshore drilling. First and …show more content…
Though the offshore oil exploration in the Arctic would benefit the consumers in the United States, it is the local community that is affected the most. Hence, the local community becomes the main stakeholder in this issue. The local community, also known as the Inupiat in Alaska, rely on their environment for survival. They oppose offshore drilling because any possible oil spill would destroy their hunting grounds. Apart from the oil spill, the sound created by the operations in the oil rig may chase the bowhead whales further into the sea because these specific whales are sensitive to sound (Beilinson). The Arctic people rely on whale meat, walrus meat and other seafood for subsistence (Welch). This has been their tradition or culture for the past centuries. The local community’s stand can be better understood by the theory of cultural

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