Russian oil ambitions collide with ancient reindeer traditions

In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey released nine studies that predicted that two-thirds of the world’s polar bears could be gone by 2050, including every bear from the Beaufort Sea west to the Barents Sea, unless the sea ice conditions somehow improve.

In 2008, the USGS announced that the polar bear may be standing over enormous deposits of fossil fuels. It said the Arctic contains an estimated 90 billion barrels of oil, 1,669 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids, of which approximately 84 percent is likely to occur offshore.

The 90 billion barrels would be enough to supply US demand for oil for 12 years. Assuming all of these fuels are burned, the total carbon dioxide emissions would equal about four times humankind's annual output.

“Before we can make decisions about our future use of oil and gas and related decisions about protecting endangered species, Native communities and the health of our planet, we need to know what’s out there,” said USGS Director Mark Myers.

But while the U.S. government now has considerable knowledge about oil and gas reserves in the Arctic, and has authorized a dramatic expansion of drilling, it knows little about how drilling would impact the Arctic people, wildlife and ecosystems. Even the entire globe is at risk, according to Native and environmental groups.

Consider, for example, Russia, whose oil ambitions are colliding with ancient raindeer herding traditions.