Arctic resources up for grabs, U.S. hands tied?
Just what is at stake if the U.S. fails to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea? According to Karen Erickson, a voice in decisions that affect major political, economic, and security interests.
Foster’s Daily Democrat – Karen Erickson, Dean, School of Liberal Arts Southern New Hampshire University Manchester
“For more than two decades, Republican and Democratic administrations alike have supported ratification of UNCLOS, but the U.S. Senate has not acted. The Senate must act now to meet increasingly urgent national needs.
What is at stake for the U. S.? By joining UNCLOS, the U.S. will forward longtime vital interests to secure freedom of navigation and also to control its coastal activities. UNCLOS protects military and commercial navigation and overflight, and passage through international straits, all essential for the Armed Forces and national security.
UNCLOS is the framework for establishing claims to offshore resources and the deep seabed. The stakes are high. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates 90 billion barrels of recoverable oil north of the Arctic Circle, which constitutes 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil. On top of that, they estimate that the region contains 20 percent of Earth’s remaining undiscovered natural gas and 30 percent of the liquid natural gas. Alaska accounts for 20 percent of domestic oil production but adherence to UNCLOS could increase drastically U.S. rights to seabed oil and natural gas, thereby securing our unparalleled exclusive economic zone of 3.36 million square miles.”
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