Will climate skeptics cost America its freedom from foreign oil?

Question

The Christian Science Monitor reports:

""MOSCOW — As global warming makes exploration of the Arctic sea floor possible for the first time, Russia has launched a massive expedition to help secure the region's vast resources.

In the next few days, two manned minisubs will be sent through a hole blasted in the polar ice to scour the ocean floor nearly three miles below. They will gather rock samples and plant a titanium capsule containing the Russian flag to symbolize Moscow's claim over 460,000 square miles of hitherto international territory — an area bigger than France and Germany combined in a region estimated to contain a quarter of the world's undiscovered oil and gas reserves. ""

Will global warming skeptics continue to advocate ignoring the global warming crisis as well as continue blocking dvelopement of renewable fuel technology that could free the US and the world from its oil addiction?

Russia sure isn't treating global warming like it's a "big hoax."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003813976_polar31.html

Mr. Jello: Read the article. The problem isn't political will, but access.

"""The No. 1 reason for the urgency about this is global warming, which makes it likely that a very large part of the Arctic will become open to economic exploitation in coming decades," says Alexei Maleshenko, an expert with the Carnegie Center in Moscow. ""

BTW, ANWR is a drop in the bucket in terms of lowering gas prices, according to everyone including the oil companies and Dept. of Energy. And thanks to global warming, its becoming harder to extract oil because of the melting permafrost.

And I'd be careful about critisizing Al Gore for his measily stock holding. You no doubt voted for President Cheney-- the oil king.

censordevil: Read the article (and I apologize for not providing the link until after you posted).

The ice is melting and will be gone in a matter of decades. The Russians are staking out the real estate.

3DM: They're rushing to claim the oil reserves becasue never before has the world had access to them! That doens't ring any bells for you??? It's about greed.

Betsy: You're reading too much into my queastion. I didn't say the oil reserves in the arctic are the ONLY way to reduce dependency on foriegn oil--- although we ARE talking about some of the largest unexplored oil reserves in the world. Read the article.

Answer 1

So, the Russians believe that man-made global warming is such a crisis that they are looking to drill for oil like there's no tomorrow?

Now, THAT'S logic.

I guarantee you that the majority of skeptics are in favor of expanded US oil exploration, and the majority of alarmists are dead set against it.

The "hoax" is not the climate but that man is the principle driver of today's trend.

Answer 2

With all it's resources I think the US should be directing more attention to coming up with viable alternatives to oil.

To date it's record on meeting the worldwide demand for environmentally ethical goods and services has been a poor one and it's suffered economically at the hands of the Europeans and Japanese. They're forging ahead with technologically advanced production methods and are supplying the wordwide demand for greener products.

Imagine 20, 30, 40, 50 years down the line if a country is able to provide a global solution to the crisis of diminishing oil reserves.

The move by the Russians appears, at this stage, to be more of a symbolic gesture but it's clear where their intentions lie.

With the Arctic ice now forecast to disappear completely each summer in about 40 years from now there's huge potential for exploitation of the area and I suspect that others will soon be following the Russians and laying claim to any resources that may be found there.

Another worrying development concerning the Arctic is that a couple of weeks ago a man from London went swimming at the North Pole - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6899612.stm

Answer 3

No, the problem is the believers who prevent us from drilling in ANWR and the lands in the arctic circle. These reserves have been known for years, but lack of political spine and misinformation has prevented the USA from providing our own resources.

Believers rather have $100 oil so they can justify the high cost of bio fuel, plus Algore needs more money from his holdings in Occidental Petroleum.

Answer 4

No, it is liberals who are keeping America from being energy independent by blocking every attempt to drill for the oil we know we have here, not allowing efficient refineries to be built, and even blocking attempts at building wind mill farms like Ted Kennedy did in Massachusetts.
Funny how you mention that the Russians blasted a hole in the ice to get their sub in the water. So the ice is still frozen? How can that be?

Answer 5

Too many people want alternative fuels and more efficiency in the world today, me included. I won't stand for people trying to push that back.

There is absolutely no reason our advanced society today should be wasting so much energy and not using some form of renewable energy for everything we do. I don't relly believe global warming exists but I'm for it because scaring people is the only way to get stuff done anymore.

Answer 6

Will global warming proponents cost America its freedom from poverty?