ExxonMobil Says Goodbye To Russian Arctic Oil Well (Part 1)

You may well ask why PlanetSave, a blog usually dedicated to positive developments and actions to save the earth, is reporting news about ExxonMobil and a Russian arctic oil well.

West Alpha oil rig (eandt.theiet.org)
Norway’s West Alpha oil rig used for Russian-American Arctic Ocean drilling (eandt.theiet.org)

The oil discovery appears to have nothing to do with solar or wind or most of our usual topics—we’re talking fossil fuels here, which have caused much of the earth’s pollution (including runaway plastics) and contributed greatly to the warming of our atmosphere and seas.

It’s a good question. We have a good answer, too. These days one of the biggest issues on earth is the provision of energy. It ranks pretty high, right up there with air, water, food, and health. We need more energy every day the world develops—not just to enable earth’s developing and less developed countries, but also to fuel every technological advance we make, from cell phones to satellite atmosphere monitoring.

We have a major disjunct going on right now as we tiptoe into an unknown future dominated by abnormally rapid climate change. There’s a choice between clutching old energy solutions that have proven imprudent, even destructive, and making positive changes in the way we go about providing power.

Location of Russia's Kara Sea (ktwop.files.wordpress.com)

The choice comes into stark relief when we look at the issues involved in this little bit of arctic drilling. If we allow ExxonMobil to get back to pursuing a Russian arctic oil well joint venture with the Ukraine situation unresolved, we shamelessly double-deal and increase international tensions by aiding a nation currently on our “no-no” list. More importantly, we signal our intention to pour money into old and dangerous technology instead of cleaner solutions for the future. Is this financial tradeoff really worth supporting?

To be continued…

 

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