The news that President Obama has given a green light to Shell's Arctic oil exploration has been greeted with alarm (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/18/shell-gets-final-clearance-to-begin-drilling-for-oil-in-the-arctic). He may well have been convinced by economic arguments such as, with proper safeguards, the extracted oil would a) save on the environmental costs of its transport and b) make the US less dependent on foreign supplies of the black stuff. He may have also added into the equation, a belief that the American public would take quite a long time to wean off petrol-fueled automobiles. Having said all that, this agreement will not help in his reported mission to make a start on driving down world-wide greenhouse gas emissions. The Arctic is regarded by many people as being a pristine, sensitive area where oil extraction problems could well be magnified and appealing to the world to start countering climate change sits oddly with this move. Perhaps the message should be more important than monetary considerations?
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