Makivik Magazine Issue 90

Oil Spill Concerns
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darlene
Of all things that could happen during these days of urgent
concern about the state of our planet, this past April 10 th began
the tragic Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
There were 11 workers killed, 17 injured, and so far nobody
has been able to predict how much oil will be released into
the environment from it. It is the biggest crude oil spill disaster
in history.
With all the talk of oil exploration in the North, Inuit
are concerned about the consequences of such an accident
happening closer to home. For instance ITK president Mary
Simon wrote to the prime minister regarding the environmental
safeguards surrounding offshore oil and gas drilling
in the Canadian Arctic. “Against the backdrop of the oil spill
in the Gulf of Mexico, Inuit are seeking an immediate pause
on drilling in the Beaufort Sea in order to take stock. We also
seek a commitment that any future drilling proceed only on
the basis of the best safeguards used internationally, and the
adoption of supplementary environmental protection measures
that address unique Arctic vulnerabilities.”
Makivik’s president, Pita Aatami has also stated: “If the
Arctic is explored for oil, it will be a major concern to us Inuit,
not just in Nunavik but also Nunavut, Nunatsiavut, NWT and
Inuvialuit. If such an oil spill happened in the Arctic our fragile
ecosystem, which is already facing global warming, could
be insurmountable to overcome. Our food would be contaminated
and our way of life would be altered. Environmental
response capacity to such a catastrophe is non-existent in
the Arctic and since the Arctic is very isolated and far from
any emergency response services the damage would be very
hard to contain.”
The only offshore drilling projects now operating in
Canada are three rigs off Newfoundland. One source says that
the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board has put a hold
on another proposed deep-sea drilling project until they can
prove they have the proper safeguards in place. Meanwhile,
we hope and pray that the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico will
be solved soon.
Bob mesher
MAKIVIK mag a zine
83