Arctic Drilling Is a Risk 'We Cannot Manage': Scientists

Leading scientists are once again calling on the American president to step up and take decisive action to protect the Arctic and, in turn, the global climate.

The letter, signed by 34 leading scientists, includes officials who worked with the federal government under the outgoing Obama administration.

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“The hypersensitivity of Arctic ecosystems, combined with our obvious inability to respond to significant spills under Arctic conditions, means that we are taking risks that we cannot manage,” the letter reads.

Its authors also warned that failing to act is not the “approach of a country committed to sustainability," pointing to disasters such as the Exxon Valdez and the Deepwater Horizon spills as examples of what inaction leads to.

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The letter was delivered just days after the Obama administration released its five-year plan for energy development in federal waters.

In it, the government temporarily banned offshore drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the Alaskan coast, in the Arctic and in parts of the Atlantic Ocean (off of four southeastern states, including Virginia). While this initiative may be challenged by incoming President Donald Trump, who has previously called climate change a "hoax," analysts said it woud take him at least a few years to try to undo it entirely.

But that’s not enough, the scientists said, citing the need to implement a permanent ban if future generations are to survive.

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“We can lay no claim to sustainability if we continue to develop the Arctic’s offshore fossil fuels,” reads the letter.

“Thoughtful research and careful management are necessary for dealing with climate disruption but, in the foreseeable future, no amount of Arctic research can counter the full adverse effects of more oil and gas development on the global climate.”

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