issue: the Arctic should be opened to exploration by gas companies.
From day to day, more and more areas in this part of the world that is opened as places of exploration for oil and gas mining. The reason behind it is just because the gas sources are starting to decrease in the places they used to explore. Moreover, some sources say that the Arctic will be used as a place for gas exploration in the future. Isn't it very scary to predict the impact it will cause?
As we already know, the Arctic is the second coolest region covered by ice in the world after Antarctica. If the exploration happens, I assume that the heat generated from these explorations will increase the average Arctic temperature. In the future, there will be a gradual change (obviously in temperature) in the Arctic ecosystem that lead to the worst possibility; melting ice and flooding on several continents.
The Arctic is also home to some unique species, like polar bears, walruses, snow owls, arctic foxes, and arctic rabbits. The exploration of gas indeed will damage their habitat. Moreover, if a gas leak occurs, their lives can be seriously threatened and their extinction can be predicted. For example walrus. Based on an article on worldwildlife.org, female walruses and their child spend the summer months floating on sea ice and diving through the shallow waters above the continental shelf to feed on clams, snails, and marine worms. A raised risk of gases spills would prove catastrophic for this species.
The impact of the topics we are discussing this time not only includes the arctic region, but also the entire world. Of course, this is not significant, but its potential and long-term impact are deadly. For that reason, a lot of people are worried and voiced about environmental safety on Arctic.
Let's take the example of US country that planned to open exploration in the Arctic region in early 2020. According to a survey conducted by the government, quite some of the respondents said that the government did not think about its impact on the environment. In addition, if this data is averaged, the percentage of Republicans who express concern about the impact of exploration activities on the environment is around 62.6%. Even so, Millennial and Gen Z Republicans remain less likely than Democrats overall to favor the production of alternative energy sources over fossil fuels and to see government efforts to protect animal habitats and open lands in national parks as insufficient (this sentence according to an article on website pewresearch.org).
In the end, exploration should not be done in the Arctic considering the many impacts and risks that will be generated both in the short and long term. In addition, it is also necessary for the stakeholders to make the right decisions by not only looking at profits because this matter includes the life of many people and most of all for the environment.