Reserves 10 times the North Sea’s output raise fears over drilling in protected region

Russia has found vast oil and gas reserves in the Antarctic, much of it in areas claimed by the UK.

The surveys are a prelude to bringing in drilling rigs to exploit the pristine region for fossil fuels, MPs have warned.

Reserves totalling 511bn barrels of oil – about 10 times the North Sea’s entire 50-year output – have been reported to Moscow by Russian research ships, according to evidence given to the Commons Environment Audit Committee (EAC) last week.

It follows a series of surveys by the Alexander Karpinsky vessel, operated by Rosgeo – the Russian agency charged with finding mineral reserves for commercial exploitation.

Antarctica is meant to be protected by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty that bans all mineral or oil developments. The UK’s interests are overseen by the Foreign Office – but it has been accused of ignoring the emerging crisis.

  • eran_morad@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Yeah, fuck it, ima go ahead and just say it:

    The US should lead a vast effort by the West (broadly construed to include allies like Australia, Japan, etc.) to deploy all covert means and significant overt means, short of a shooting war, to destabilize and ultimately destroy the russian state.

    Fuck russia. A million times over, then once more, for good measure, fuck russia.

    Macron, Scholz: it is going to be on you to lead if the most fucktarded of my compatriots succeed in their “real men wear diapers” campaign. FFS.

    russia is a cancer on the entire world.

    • Grimy@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I’m not saying it’s a bad move, but that won’t stop drilling.

      The effort should be aimed at destroying the oil industry.

    • aname@lemmy.one
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      6 months ago

      deploy all covert means and significant overt means, short of a shooting war, to destabilize and ultimately destroy the russian state.

      While they kind of maybe wanted that, they fear all the nukes getting to worse hands than they already are right now. At least Putin is sane enough to not use them, but more extreme leader might.

      • Bernie_Sandals@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        That feeling when you’re so brain fucked by the cold war actions of the U.S that the Authoritarian reactionary hellscape is good apparently.