The Arctic Circle: A Battle Between Fossil Fuels and Environmental Justice

By Tara Van Hoorn

The Arctic Ocean is home to some of the largest and most unique cetacean species in the world, but their ruggedly beautiful ecosystem is being threatened on numerous fronts. Along with the already visible impacts of climate change – namely rising water temperatures and ocean acidification – both the lands and the oceans of the Arctic are targets for widespread oil drilling, sparking a political battle involving Indigenous Peoples, environmentalists, politicians, and large oil corporations.

This fight between conservation and profit in the Arctic is not new to American legislators. For decades, various tribes and environmental groups have fought to protect and preserve the Arctic, in particular the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but they are constantly outcompeted by politicians funded by the fossil fuel industry.

For example, in 2017, Congress failed to protect these traditional Gwich’in and Iñupiat lands (the peoples Indigenous to the north-central Alaska and northern Canada) in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which allowed fossil fuel companies to purchase leases that allow them to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic Refuge. Taking advantage of the systematic disrespect of Indigenous sovereignty and lack of environmental consciousness, numerous oil companies from around the world began to seek leases on public lands and waters and to profit from the oil under the Arctic.

It is clear how devastating oil drilling is to marine and human ecosystems alike. While some of the damages are overly apparent, like oil spills that drench animals in oil and can set the ocean on fire, others are more hidden and do not get nearly as much coverage. Drilling for oil can harm ecosystems by causing light pollution and chronic oil spills, disrupting migration patterns, and providing further fuel to climate change.

Furthermore, oil drilling is also an issue of environmental justice that greatly threatens human health. Drilling, transporting, and refining oil pollute air and waterways with deadly carcinogens and toxins proven to cause cardiovascular disease, asthma, birth defects, and various types of cancer. Because of the history of redlining and systemic racism and classism in this country, these drilling sites are often placed in areas with predominantly low-income BIPOC (Black and Indigenous People of Color) populations.

We are witnessing this environmental injustice in the Arctic as oil drilling, along with the complex industrial infrastructure of pipelines and buildings, pollutes and threatens the many Gwich’in and Iñupiat communities living near the Arctic Circle. These tribes are being forced to watch their traditionally sacred lands and waters not only be ruined and disrespected by colonial machinery, but their health is being put in danger as well. Furthermore, traditional food sources, such as caribou and marine mammals, are put at risk. Such pollution threatens the survival of these tribes that have already faced so much atrocity and loss from the lasting impacts of colonization.

This August provided great hope for those still battling to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as Congress developed the Inflation Reduction Act. This legislation included large plans for climate change mitigation, like investments into renewable energy and tax incentives for carbon-capture technologies. However, while these environmental victories are necessary, revolutionary, and supported by scientists and environmentalists around the world, we musn’t lose sight of the perpetuation of the fossil-fuel economy that funds so many American politicians, including Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia). This reality is underreported by mainstream media.

Senator Manchin’s support was necessary for the bill to pass in the 50/50 Senate, which allowed him to make many changes that benefit him and his corporate funders. He further offered a new package of legislation to undermine environmental laws and mandate leasing of public lands and offshore waters for oil drilling, as well as mandating completion of oil pipelines.

Manchin's proposed amendments, which he tried to attach to the Continuing Resolution (CR), legislation keeping the government funded, included the potential expansion of oil leasing and drilling in the Arctic, arguing that the fossil fuel industry is necessary for “American economic growth” during this transition to renewable energy and climate change mitigation. Yet again, we witness the Arctic ecosystems and communities being neglected and devalued by American lawmakers that fail to protect these lands, oceans, and peoples.

Thanks to the work of the International Marine Mammal Project and many other activists, organizations, and members of Congress, Senator Manchin dropped his oil industry plans in Congress for the CR, unable to gain enough votes for the measure. However, he may well come back again, pushing for lifting environmental review of oil drilling and pipeline building. If he and his oil industry accomplices are successful, the Arctic could be in grave danger of destruction, which could threaten the wellbeing of the rest of the world’s oceans as well.

The Arctic is one of the largest destinations for hundreds of migratory animals, including gray whales, Arctic terns, and caribou, many of which use the Arctic as a birthing and hunting ground. The Refuge's coastal plain is the only place in Alaska where polar bears den on land, an important population as sea ice continues to disappear in the Arctic due to global warming. If the Arctic is polluted and destroyed, these migratory species will struggle with reproduction, feeding, and habitat stability due to the disruption to their migration patterns.

Furthermore, the year-round Arctic residents like narwhals, polar bears, beluga whales, and bowhead whales are also in grave danger as they could be completely wiped out by oil drilling and seismic oil exploration, either gradually over time or with a catastrophic event.

In conclusion, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Gwich’in and Iñupiat peoples need our support to finally protect these lands and oceans for good.

What You Can Do:

Contact your House Representative and two Senators. Urge them to oppose any efforts to “streamline” oil and gas permitting, as proposed by Senator Manchin. Tell them that the legislation would harm wildlife, especially marine mammals, our oceans, and continue to feed the dangerous warming of our Earth. Oil and gas should stay in the ground, not be burned to contribute to more and more global warming.

For information on contacting your two Senators in Washington DC, go here.

For information on contacting your member of the House of Representatives, go here.

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The International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute is in the forefront of efforts to curtail offshore oil drilling and other polluting industries that harm whales, dolphins, and their ocean homes. Your donations help us protect our ocean and its inhabitants. Thank you for your support!