Op-Eds
Arctic resources up for grabs, U.S. hands tied?
January 27th, 2010
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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United States leadership in the Arctic Ocean
December 15th, 2009Op-ed by three renowned ocean experts on the opportunity for international cooperation posed by the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The News and Observer – Paul Arthur Berkman, Kenneth S. Yalowitz and Oran R. Young
“The United States has vital interests in the Arctic Ocean, given Alaska’s location and the impact of climate change in the far north on the world’s environment, natural resources, population and security. The United States needs to assert leadership now to promote ecologically sound, productive and peaceful management of the Arctic Ocean. U.S. ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is the urgent first step in this regard but it should be accompanied by an initiative to make the central Arctic Ocean a peaceful preserve for all humankind.”
Paul Arthur Berkman is head of the Arctic Ocean Geopolitics Programme at Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge. Kenneth S. Yalowitz is director of the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth College. Oran R. Young is professor at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara.
As an Arctic nation, U.S. must embrace smart, science-based stewardship – Nancy Sutley, Jane Lubchenco and Thad Allen
September 4th, 2009The Seattle Times – Nancy Sutley, Jane Lubchenco and Thad Allen
We strongly support ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. The oceans have been called, “the last global commons,” and their sustained global health can best be maintained by a stable, universally accepted convention that promotes the key interests of the United States, its allies and its trading partners. Ratification would ensure our ability to participate in interpreting and applying the convention to the changing realities of the global maritime environment and preserves our ability to protect our domestic interests, including our extended continental shelf claims.
Nancy Sutley is chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Jane Lubchenco is undersecretary for Commerce of Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator; and Adm. Thad Allen is commandant of the Coast Guard.